Life in the NBA Bubble

Due to the worldwide pandemic, all sports had taken a pause to reduce the spread of Covid-19. For some sports such as basketball, the NBA had to come to a strong halt in the middle of its season. On March 11, 2020, the NBA had announced that they had indefinitely suspended the season after the news was brought upon them that Utah Jazz center, Rudy Gobert, had tested positive for the coronavirus. After what seemed like countless months of no live national sports, the NBA had released a statement and plan about a “Bubble” down in Orlando, Florida’s Disney World. The NBA had come up with this idea so that basketball could resume safely, but with the cost of players leaving their family and having no fans allowed to watch the games in the stadiums.

At first, the concept of this NBA “Bubble” seemed crazy and some doubted that it could be pulled off. In greater detail, 13 teams from the western conference and 9 teams from the eastern conference were allowed into the NBA bubble to play in eight seeding games to try to make their way to the first through eighth seed, which would allow them to stay for the playoffs. Many players had questioned the decision on going into the bubble because once they were in, they could not go out unless they had family emergencies.

Another reason why players did not want to enter the NBA bubble was due to the social injustices that were happening in the United States. After the murder of George Floyd, many African American players had helped speak out about the cause through social media and participated in protests to cry out the need for change in our country. The result was that no player was forced into the bubble, and they could decline the offer and sit out for the rest of the resumed season, whether it was for family or for the social injustice issue. Commissioner Adam Silver had wanted to address the social injustice issues, and some players believed that with the NBA resuming, there would be a bigger platform for them to speak on. The commissioner had talked to the NBA Players Association and had given out the idea that each player would have the option to put a social justice message on the back of their jerseys. Along with the jerseys, each court that teams would play on that would be broadcasted would have “Black Lives Matter” painted on them.

The NBA had done an extremely good job at reserving three hotels and stadiums down in Disney World for players to comfortably stay for what could last 3 months. The amenities that players would be getting were that they would each get meals provided by Disney employees, and that they would be well taken care of. For entertainment purposes, the NBA had provided activities such as bowling, fishing, ping pong, DJs, video games, volleyball, pools, and golf. Each player would still have to stay socially distanced from one another, and must wear masks at all times when they are not in practice or playing games. After the first round of the playoffs, each player would be able to bring four family members into the bubble after they get quarantined and tested.

The games that players and teams will play will be fanless to help with the NBA’s effort of keeping all players as safe and healthy as possible. However, since games must still consist of one home team and one away team, the stadiums are set up to have screens surrounding the court to show virtual fans that watch the games live from home. Players from other teams are also allowed to watch games socially distanced. The bench for each team keeps all players socially distanced from each other, and those who do not play in the games must have a face mask on at all times. The NBA has tested no positive tests for covid-19 in any person in the bubble.

The NBA bubble has so far been successful with resuming sports and keeping everyone safe. On August 27th, the Milwaukee Bucks had boycotted their round one game five and that had led to the NBA stopping all of the game five games. The players have been very upset about how no racial justice changed have been made since the shooting and murder of George Floyd. Since NBA players are alone and cannot leave the bubble, emotions are raw and there were a lot of emotions being shown about how players were feeling. The Lakers and Clippers even went as far as to threaten the league that they would stop playing playoff games, which would result in the NBA playoffs being held off for 2020.

Even with the immense success of the NBA bubble, players are going through a lot being able to be surrounded by family and not being allowed to leave the bubble. Players have come out to talk about how they are facing many mental issues. They are suffering from many things such as depression and anxiety along with the feeling of loneliness, and it is at great cost that they are risking a lot and putting much at stake to enter the bubble and resume the NBA season for playoff games. Players are going all in to commit to the NBA, and demand that owners and partners of teams and the NBA help with the fight for equality and racial justice. The emotion being felt is real, and players are using this huge platform down in Orlando, Florida to spread messages on how to create a change and are trying to educate the public to vote.

Overall, the NBA bubble has been a tremendous success and Commissioner Adam Silver should be very proud of how his vision has turned out. With two more months of the NBA resuming, the Orlando bubble is one of the safest locations to keep players and staff healthy and free from Covid-19. So far, most players have few complaints about the bubble. The NBA tried to make the best out of a worse situation, and even added a barbershop into the bubble for players to get clean cuts. Hopefully, we can see in the near future that there would be no more bubble, and sports could resume as usual.