But in an interview with The New York Times in late April, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectous Diseases, didn't seem too confident.

"If you can't

But in an interview with The New York Times in late April, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectous Diseases, didn't seem too confident.

"If you can't guarantee safety," Fauci told the paper. "Then, unfortunately you're going to have to bite the bullet and say, ‘We may have to go without this sport for this season.'"

However, this announcement isn't the first step towards a return to basketball.

Many NBA teams began reopening their own practice facilities earlier this month.

"Teams will be allowed to make facilities open to players on a voluntary basis for individual work, but larger group workouts will still be prohibited," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted when the announcement was made. "In NBA markets that aren't loosening restrictions, league plans to work w/ teams on other arrangements for players."