NBA not playing games on Election Day to promote US voter participation

The NBA on Tuesday said it would not schedule any basketball games on November 8, Election Day in the US, when Americans will head to the polls for the 2022 midterms.

The league, which will announce its 2022-23 schedule on Wednesday, said the decision was made to promote voter participation.

“The NBA today announced that no games will be played on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8, 2022,” a released statement said.

“The scheduling decision came out of the NBA family’s focus on promoting non-partisan civic engagement and encouraging fans to make a plan to vote during midterm elections.”

Sotheby's estimates Michael Jordan's jersey will fetch $3-5 million. Sotheby's / AFP

Teams from across the league will also make an effort to educate fans on their state's voting process and voter registration deadlines.

On November 7, all 30 teams will play as part of a “civic engagement night” and “share important voting information from our partners”.

The NBA has taken steps to use its platform to encourage engaging in political activism in recent years, notably in 2020, when protests erupted across the US over the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Members of the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets kneel around a Black Lives Matter logo during the national anthem before the start of an NBA basketball game in Florida in 2020. AP

Bloomberg contributed to this report