No NBA games, the North American basketball championship, will be played on November 8, the date of the midterm elections in the United States, the league announced on Tuesday.
The NBA wants to “encourage” its fans to go to the polls and “promote non-partisan civic engagement”, it is specified in a press release.
The league is due to reveal the full schedule for the 2022/23 season on Wednesday. The championship will resume on October 18.
NBA franchises will also conduct information campaigns on the terms of the ballot in their respective states, including the deadline for registering on the electoral lists.
A full day of matches will instead take place the day before the midterm elections on 7 November. The teams involved that day will take the opportunity to drive the point home, with the help of NBA partners.
The American Basketball League actively supports its politically engaged players, especially since the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, killed by police.
Several NBA halls had been converted into polling stations for the 2020 presidential election, to boost voter turnout.
The icon LeBron James had openly sided with Joe Biden and exulted on the networks after his victory against outgoing President Donald Trump.
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