NBA legend Michael Jordan is said to have played a key role in the negotiations. Initial reports said that the LA Clippers and LA Lakers had voted to cancel the season on Wednesday night, but ESPN reports that after a series of meetings on Thursday morning players have decided to continue with the playoffs.

Along with Jordan, Silver and the players, union executive director Michele Roberts and owners of the 13 playoff teams will attend the meeting, Goodwill added.

The meeting, per Goodwill, will be held to discuss when the games will begin again. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that action is likely to begin again Saturday.

As Goodwill noted, the meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. EST, with the players meeting separately an hour prior to that, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN. 

ESPN reported that Jordan, the only black majority owner in the league, spoke to the NBA Players Association before the discussions started to see what the league could do to ease the situation.

“Michael is the perfect person to be in this role,” a league source told ESPN. “He’s been a high-profile player who has won championships. He’s also the owner of a small-market team. He has great credibility both with the players and the owners.” - Taken from The Guardian website