AFTER thorough studies and direct consultations with the different professional sports organizations in the country, the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) on Saturday officially submitted the “Proposed Framework for the Resumption of Professional Sports in the Philippines in Anticipation to the New Normal” to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

The National Basketball Players Association’s imprimatur on the resumption of the 2019–20 season was to be expected. With heads of the union kept in the loop through every step of, and actually included in, the decision-making process, getting the ranks to agree on the general proposition didn’t require any arm twisting. Certainly, the collegial approach adopted by commissioner Adam Silver helped in no small measure; for as long as all and sundry can remember, he views those with a stake in the principal product as partners and not adversaries. Accordingly, the trust he has built over time is precisely what they remember when he puts forth radical ideas; they understand from the get-go that collective interests are being forwarded.

DETERMINED to get back in the grind, the Philippine Basketball Association is expanding its efforts towards a return to action by setting a dialogue with players later this month.

THE NATIONAL Basketball Association continues to fine-tune the structure and rules it will follow when the season resumes July 31 at the Disney World campus in Orlando, Florida, including tweaks to the standings and potential roster changes.

MADRID — LaLiga will use virtual images of stands in television broadcasts with added “fan audio,” produced by the makers of the FIFA video game, when it returns to action on Thursday.

POPULAR mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang continues innovating and improving to provide shored-up experience to players.

STOCKHOLM — Former two-weight Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Conor McGregor has announced on Twitter that he is retiring from the sport for the third time, citing a lack of exciting options as the reason behind his decision to quit.

BENGALURU — World number one Novak Djokovic has said participating in the US Open would be an impossible task due to the “extreme” COVID-19 protocols in place for the tournament at Flushing Meadows.

WHEN FOOTBALL in the country would resume its activities is still to be determined but officials assured that they have started working towards it, eyeing a phased in return.

THREE YEARS removed from playing for the De La Salle Green Archers at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, Ben Mbala has been touring different parts of the world as a professional basketball player.

THE JUGGERNAUT that is Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes continued with her dominance after successfully defending the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s women’s featherweight title against challenger Felicia “Feenom” Spencer at “UFC 250” on Sunday (Manila time) at the UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas.

Kevin Durant didn’t really have to issue a disclaimer. All along, he had been clear about his plans: He would be taking his time...