NEW YORK CITY — The National Basketball Association announced Tuesday that teams would not play any games on Election Day this year.

The league said that the decision not to play that day was so "the NBA family’s focus on promoting nonpartisan civic engagement and encouraging fans to make a plan to vote during midterm elections."

CNN reported that the league added that teams would share information on the voting processes in their state and registration deadlines leading up to Nov. 8.

According to the Associated Press, 30 teams are scheduled to play on Nov. 7, the night before the midterm elections.

The move for the league to not play on Election Day is a rare one, the news outlet pointed out. Typically the league doesn't play on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, nor do they try to play on the day of the NCAA men’s basketball championship game, the Associated Press reported.

“It’s unusual. We don’t usually change the schedule for an external event,” executive director of the NBA’s social justice coalition James Cadogan told NBC. “But voting and Election Day are obviously unique and incredibly important to our democracy.”

This isn't the first time the NBA has become involved in election-related issues.

The news outlets reported that in 2020, several NBA teams made their arenas available for polling places.

As voters head to the polls, they'll get to vote to see who will fill all 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats that are available, the news outlets reported.

According to CNN, 36 states will be electing governors.

The National Basketball Association announced Thursday that longtime NBA referee Tony Brown died after battling pancreatic cancer.

He was 55.

“We are and have been sustained by the consistent outpouring of love and support through this journey in developing strength, acceptance, and peace,” his wife Tina Brown said in a statement released by the NBA.”We ask that you join us in that spirit as we prepare to celebrate Tony’s life.”

According to the Associated Press, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer last April.

The league said Brown officiated 1,110 regular-season games and 35 playoff games.

“Tony Brown was one of the most accomplished referees in the NBA and an inspiration to his colleagues,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a statement.

Silver said Brown "fought courageously" as he underwent chemotherapy to be able to return to work at the league's replay center this past NBA season.

Brown officiated the 2018 NBA All-Star Games and one game of the 2020 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat during his NBA career, CBS Sports reported.