Ready or not, the NBA restart is a go. It appears the league is as ready as it can be to play three months of basketball inside a protective bubble near
Ready or not, the NBA restart is a go.
It appears the league is as ready as it can be to play three months of basketball inside a protective bubble near Orlando, Fla. while on the outside, coronavirus cases currently soar.
Whether it’s a success – at this point all one can do is dust off the oldest of clichés.
Time will tell.
The NBA and its players union, the National Basketball Players Association, announced Friday they’ve finalized a comprehensive plan for 22 teams to arrive around July 7th and start playing games that count, on July 30th. Everyone will live and play on a “campus” at Walt Disney World Resort. Games will take place in three separate arenas without fans in attendance.
The NBA and NBPA have agreed on a comprehensive set of health and safety measures to try to keep players and all NBA staff as safe as possible in the midst of the pandemic. The hundred-plus page protocol covers every possible aspect of a protected life in the bubble, while acknowledging that protection might not be perfect.
“It’s possible that staff, players, or other participants may test positive or contract the coronavirus,” the document reads. “The occurrence of a small or otherwise expected number of COVID-19 cases will not require a decision to suspend or cancel the resumption of the 2019-20 season.
