It’s now been weeks since the last BBL game was played and simply put, we miss it.
The BBL took steps postpone the rest of the season as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, releasing the following statements on their website:
“Following the latest measures to combat Covid-19 as directed by the Government, the British Basketball League (BBL) has agreed a decision to postpone the 2019/20 season until further notice due to the on-going impact of these measures.”
The initial statement from the U.K’s only professional basketball league looked bleak for fans. However, the league has given its followers a glimmer of a hope with a positive follow up statement:
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with all BBL clubs and partners to explore all options to allow us to continue the season prudently and safely at the earliest opportunity.”
Since the last bucket was made in the BBL, the residents of the U.K have been put into a lockdown, which encourages us to practice social distancing to try combat the wide spread of Covid-19.
These are truly strange times for us all, with the world of professional sports being no exception.
Questions To Be Answered
With all this time stuck at home, the whole situation gets you thinking. With no end in sight and the season now in limbo, questions are inevitably being raised such as, what does this mean for the future of the London Lions?
As defending champions, the Lions were sitting second in the table, with a game in hand, in prime position, still in contention to retain their championship.
The Londoners had their destiny in their own hands, or at least they did until the Covid-19 pandemic stopped their title defence in its tracks.
Will the Lions take the court again this season? It’s hard to say, since the pandemic has brought everyday life in London to a screeching halt.
Covid-19 Crippling Basketball Clubs
The pandemic has affected a lot of businesses, including London Lions as a whole. Coach Vince Macaulay touched on how difficult of period it could be for other basketball clubs at this time with a statement released through the Lions website:
”As with a lot of basketball clubs a lot of our playing contracts are seasonal and end at the last game of the season. We are very much a local-player focused club and we will be trying to assist all our staff through this difficult time.
“We are hopeful that the Government’s scheme will enable us to maintain full employment across the club and ensure we can all get back to delivering our purpose within the London community as our roles extend from the shop window of weekly games through our development pathway and schools and community activity.”
With no official update on a possible return of Basketball and with circulating rumors of a 6-month lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, have we seen the last of the BBL season?
Only time will tell.
