Tuesday 26 May 2020 17:56, UK
All-Star guard Damian Lillard says he will not return to NBA action this season if his Portland Trail Blazers do not have an opportunity to reach the playoffs.
The Blazers were ninth in the Western Conference - one place outside the playoff positions - when the league was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The NBA has confirmed talks are underway over resuming the 2019-20 season at Disney World in Florida, but there has yet to be any clarification on whether the regular season will be completed as normal, or there will be a fast-tracking to the playoffs.
Lillard told Yahoo Sports: "If we come back and I don't have an opportunity to make the playoffs, I will show up to work, I'll be at practice and I'll be with my team.
"I'm going to do all that and then I'm going to be sitting right on that bench during the games.
"If we come back and they're just like, 'we're adding a few games to finish the regular season,' and they're throwing us out there for meaningless games, and we don't have a true opportunity to get into the playoffs, I'm going to be with my team because I'm a part of the team.
"But I'm not going to be participating.
"If they come back and say it's something like a tournament, play-in style, between the No. 7 and No. 12 seeds, if we're playing for playoff spots, then I think that's perfect."
