![]() Players, coaches and other key personnel quickly settled in upon arriving in the bubble at Walt Disney World and found numerous ways to keep themselves busy when they were not practicing or working out. The very best of the NBA's bubble activities Teams got acclimated to the Disney campus as the league continued to take massive precautions, working to make sure its players had all the comforts, food and approved fun that bubble life can offer. How NBA players adjusted to life inside the bubbleįor the players, the first three weeks after arriving in the bubble were relatively smooth. How those inside were able to cope helped determine the bubble's viability and success. The mental toll was a key point of discussion upon entry to the Disney campus. With physical distance encouraged more than ever, there would be untold hours of solitude for players living in the NBA bubble. Navigating the mental areas of life in the NBA bubble And, yes, there were six barbers, three stylists and three manicurists on site, operating out barbershops set up in each team's hotel. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association made a concerted effort to provide components of normality, such as a players-only lounge with NBA 2K, TVs, arcade gaming and pingpong. How the NBA picked the barbers for the bubble So the bubble needed to provide more than basketball - it needed to become a home away from home for everyone involved, for better or worse. All 22 teams were checking in for a stay of at least six weeks, and for two of them, the bubble would be the only place they'd visit for more than three months. The first players arrived at Walt Disney World on July 7, nearly four months after the NBA season had shut down. On June 22, when Toronto was still in Phase 1 of its reopening plan, the Raptors traveled to Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida, where they held training camp until relocating again to the NBA's official bubble. The Raptors turned Fort Myers into a test for the NBA's bubble ![]() How NBA coaches prepared for the bubble in Orlandoįor an NBA coach in the age of COVID-19, there were many strange, new challenges to meet on and off the court, and seemingly every question about how to approach the resumption of the 2020 season presented a paradox. ![]() That trust and rapport helped push the restart process forward, up hills where it could have gotten stuck. But the league benefited from strong, long-standing relationships among Chris Paul, Bob Iger, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts. The journey through months of uncertainty after the NBA shut down March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic was challenging. How Adam Silver, the NBA's stars and owners negotiated these playoffs Once it became obvious a return to home arenas wasn't an option, the league honed in on creating a bubble, eventually deciding to resume play at ESPN's Wide World of Sports. Resuming the NBA season was far more complex than simply rescheduling games. Here's a comprehensive look back at everything that happened on and off the court in the 100-plus days of bubble life. The first players arrived on July 7 and now the 2019-20 NBA season has finally come to an end, more than one full year after teams reported to training camp, with the Los Angeles Lakers claiming their 17th championship. ![]() Players, coaches and staffers for 22 teams - not to mention league staffers and media members - uprooted their lives to spend months away from home. And the how was a bubble environment that saw a massive list of safety protocols enacted but also saw a return-to-play unlike anything sports fans had seen before. The where was the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. As it turned out, the when was July, after more than 100 days away. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĮverything that happened in the NBA bubbleĪfter the NBA season shut down on March 11, discussion quickly turned to the big questions about the rest of the season: when, where and how.
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