Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the country’s foremost authority on the COVID-19 pandemic, told Yahoo Sports on Monday that it’s unlikely NBA teams can host full-capacity crowds during the 2020-21 season.
Fauci, in a phone interview, said unrestricted capacities at sports stadiums will be among “the last thing[s] that you're gonna see” as the United States pushes toward the end of the pandemic in 2021.
When asked about the possibility of full, 20,000-seat NBA arenas in July, when the postseason is scheduled to conclude, Fauci said: “Ah, I think that'll be cutting it close.