2020 NBA Bubble

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Many of the Walt Disney World Resort's facilities and hotels are part of the bubble.

The 2020 NBA Bubble is the North American basketball league NBA's isolation zone , established to protect players from the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States as the suspended 2019/2020 season comes to an end. For this purpose, 22 teams were invited to the Walt Disney World Resort amusement park near the city of Orlando in the state of Florida to determine the pairings for the play-offs in eight games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex . These will also take place in the shielded area.

The establishment of the security area cost 170 million US dollars . The first games were played on July 30, 2020 without spectators. The rules stipulate that the players must not leave the site and have no direct contact with outsiders. If these rules are broken, this is punished with a ten-day individual quarantine and exclusion from gaming. The NBA has set up a phone number that can be used to anonymously report players who have broken the rules of the bubble. As of July 1, 19 NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19 and have been quarantined outside the bubble. On July 13, the NBA released a notice announcing that two players had been found to be infected during their quarantine period in the isolation area. They left the amusement park grounds to continue their quarantine at home. As of July 29th, no other players have tested positive for COVID-19.

In order to enable reporting and direct television broadcasts of the games, a media area has been set up with a usable area of ​​around 8,800 square meters. This includes space for the 13 broadcast vans required, two refreshment tents were set up for the employees and measures were taken to enable the employees of the media and technology companies to keep a distance from one another.

Suspension of the season in March 2020

After a COVID-19 infection was discovered at the Utah Jazz Center , Rudy Gobert , on March 11, 2020 , the NBA announced the temporary suspension of the current season. On June 4, the Board of Governors of the NBA approved the resumption of the 2019/20 season in Orlando, Florida at the Walt Disney World Resort amusement park, after Las Vegas and with a vote of 29: 1 (with the Portland Trail Blazers as the only vote against) Houston had been considered as a possible venue.

Attendees

The 22 best teams were invited to the bubble. These are:

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Without participation

The eight teams that finished last in the tables will not take part in the games in the bubble:

Time schedule

The following schedule will take place within the bubble:

  • 9-11 July: training camp
  • 22-28 July: preparatory games
  • July 30th - August 14th: Games to determine the playoff pairings (rest of the main round)
  • 15.-16. August: Possible elimination games between the eighth and ninth placed teams
  • August 17th: start of the playoffs
  • August 30th: Arrival of families / guests of the teams
  • August 31 - September 13: Conference semi-finals
  • 15.-28. September: Conference finals
  • September 30th - October 13th: NBA Finals

player

The players were given the opportunity to opt out of participation. The following players, among others, made use of this right for various reasons (increased risk of injury, COVID-19 infection, family reasons): Spencer Dinwiddie , DeAndre Jordan , Wilson Chandler , Bradley Beal , Davis Bertans , Willie Cauley-Stein , Avery Bradley , Trevor Ariza , Taurean Prince and Thabo Sefolosha .

Some players expressed criticism of the food and accommodation. At the beginning of August, the German Dennis Schröder left the amusement park to help his pregnant wife. Then he returned to the shielded area.

Hygiene rules

The NBA published a 113-page set of rules to protect players so they can play the rest of the season. The rules include provisions on isolation and tests as well as a mask requirement in public areas. If the bubble is exited due to a family emergency, the players concerned must adhere to a four-day quarantine period, possibly longer if they were not tested regularly during their absence. Among the players who did that included Zion Williamson , who was leaving for personal reasons and returning to the screened area in late July. During his time outside the amusement park, Williamson had himself checked daily for a possible infection, but the samples each gave negative results.

In the event of a positive test, the infected player is quarantined in a separate facility in the amusement park. After excluding a false positive test, the quarantine period is at least 14 days. A heart examination must then be carried out. This can take place two weeks after the symptoms disappear, or, if the course is asymptomatic, two weeks after the first positive test. The examination of the heart is an extension of the already existing procedure for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The NBA then evaluates video material to trace chains of infection and tests all players with whom the infected person has had contact or direct contact for at least 15 minutes.

Controversy

The criticism of the staging of the games and the accommodation within the area shielded from the outside world includes, among other things, concerns that even an undiscovered case of infection could spread quickly within a short time, similar to a cruise ship. Attention was drawn to the difficulty of creating an area that is actually completely shielded in order to exclude external influences or to limit them to a minimum.

In addition, even in the initial phase of the bubble, there were breaches with the hygiene rules by individual players. So was Dwight Howard accused multiplied by the Los Angeles Lakers, not to adhere to the prescribed in the rules of hygiene mask duty. He was then warned by the NBA. Lou Williams of the Los Angeles Clippers was granted an exit from the Bubble to attend a funeral. However, since this could be seen in a photo published by US rapper Jack Harlow and showing Williams in a strip club outside the isolation zone, his quarantine was extended to ten days, which meant that he missed the restart of the NBA season. Richaun Holmes of the Sacramento Kings and Bruno Caboclo of the Houston Rockets were also quarantined ten days after Holmes left the premises to pick up a meal order and after Caboclo left his hotel room (due to ignorance, they say).

On August 2, a picture of Terence Davis of the Toronto Raptors was posted on social media wearing a mask with a hole cut in the mouth area. Content shared by Davis on social media suggests it was a protest. The NBA reminded the teams that violations of the mask requirement can be punished with fines, suspension or exclusion from the isolation zone.

activism

Following the death of African American George Floyd by police officers in the course of a police operation and the ongoing protests that followed , the NBA, NBPA and the teams worked together to use the bubble as a platform for the Black Lives Matter movement. The players wore T-shirts that read "Black Lives Matter" during the warm-up and on the substitution bench. The slogan was also placed in large letters on the floor of all courts. Additionally, players were given the option to replace the names on the back of their jerseys with a statement in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

In response to the police shooting at the African American Jacob Blake , the Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott the play-off game against Orlando Magic. As a result, the NBA canceled all game day games. According to a Twitter post by sports reporter Shams Charania on The Athletic website , the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers held a meeting in favor of boycotting the rest of the season.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tim Reynolds: NBA Board of Governors approves 22-team restart of 2019-20 season. In: NBA.com. Associated Press, June 4, 2020, accessed July 24, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Chris Mannix: Free From Quarantine: The NBA Bubble Is A Unique Experience. In: Sports Illustrated. July 21, 2020, accessed on July 24, 2020 .
  3. ^ Welcome to the bubble: Everything to know about the NBA's 22-team restart . July 1, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ a b Before restart: The NBA "bubble" could burst soon. In: ran.de. July 16, 2020, accessed July 26, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Kurt Helin: NBA creating COVID-19 violation hotline for restart in Orlando . June 17, 2020. Accessed July 25, 2020.
  6. ↑ Jamie Hudson: Two NBA players test positive for COVID-19 since entering the bubble. In: NBC Sports. July 13, 2020, accessed on July 28, 2020 .
  7. ↑ The NBA and NBPA have announced the following :. In: Twitter. NBA, July 29, 2020, accessed July 29, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Jason Dachman: NBA Returns: ESPN Brings Plenty of Tech Firepower to Wide World of Sports Productions. Accessed August 2, 2020 .
  9. ↑ NBA suspends season until further notice after player tests positive for the coronavirus. In: ESPN.com. ESPN News Services, March 11, 2020, accessed July 25, 2020 .
  10. ^ Adrian Wojnarowski: NBA approves 22-team format to finish season. In: ESPN.com. June 4, 2020, accessed on July 25, 2020 .
  11. ^ A b Colin Ward-Henninger, Jack Maloney: NBA Disney World rules: Details of how the bubble will work as league plans to resume play in Orlando. In: CBS Sports. July 17, 2020, accessed on July 25, 2020 .
  12. ↑ a b Tadd Haislop: NBA bubble, explained: A complete guide to the rules, teams, schedule & more for Orlando games. In: sportingnews.com. July 29, 2020, accessed on July 29, 2020 .
  13. ^ NBA Disney World rules: Details of how the bubble will work as league plans to resume play in Orlando. Retrieved July 28, 2020 (English).
  14. ↑ Jason Guilbault: List Of NBA Players Opting Out Of NBA Bubble in Orlando. In: lineups.com. July 13, 2020, accessed on July 27, 2020 .
  15. ↑ Tyler Lauletta: NBA stars are sharing their complaints of the Disney 'bubble' including disappointing food, boring rooms, and a lack of blankets. Accessed July 30, 2020 .
  16. ↑ Dennis Schröder leaves the NBA bubble. Retrieved August 3, 2020 .
  17. ^ Süddeutsche Zeitung: Dennis Schröder back in the NBA bubble. Retrieved August 13, 2020 .
  18. ^ Tim Bontemps: NBA details, virus testing, amenities for Orlando. In: ESPN.com. June 17, 2020, accessed July 25, 2020 .
  19. ↑ Mark Medina: Longtime NBA coaches Mike D'Antoni, Alvin Gentry wear masks coaching in games at bubble. In: USA Today. July 26, 2020, accessed on July 28, 2020 .
  20. ↑ Alex Butler: Opt-outs, bubble departures reshape NBA playoff picture. In: upi.com. July 27, 2020, accessed on July 28, 2020 .
  21. ↑ NBA News: Zion Williamson returns to the bubble - Pelicans star goes into quarantine. Retrieved July 28, 2020 .
  22. ↑ Jeff Zillgitt: Cardiac screening crucial for NBA players who tested positive for COVID-19. Retrieved July 30, 2020 (American English).
  23. ↑ NBA's 'bubble' idea has major holes. In: nbcsports.com. April 3, 2020, accessed July 30, 2020 .
  24. ↑ NBA's option of playing in a 'bubble' isn't safe, medical experts say. In: houstonchronicle.com. April 7, 2020, accessed July 30, 2020 (American English).
  25. ↑ Heiko Oldkörper: Lakers professional Howard stands out without a mask. In: deutschlandfunk.de. July 20, 2020, accessed July 26, 2020 .
  26. ↑ Andreas Sten-Ziemons: NBA professional Lou Williams: Lock after a detour to the strip club. In: Deutsche Welle. July 26, 2020, accessed July 26, 2020 .
  27. ↑ NBA News - Kings Center Richaun Holmes has to go back to quarantine for ordering food. In: spox.com. July 14, 2020, accessed July 26, 2020 .
  28. ↑ NBA issues stern warning after Toronto star cuts hole in mask. In: Fox Sports. August 2, 2020, accessed on August 3, 2020 .
  29. ↑ Brittany Bernstein: NBA Resumes Season with 'Black Lives Matter' Painted on Court. In: National Review. July 31, 2020, accessed on August 27, 2020 .
  30. ↑ Top team boycotted playoff game. In: sport1.de. August 26, 2020, accessed on August 27, 2020 .
  31. ^ Sources: The Lakers and Clippers have voted to boycott the NBA season. Most other teams voted to continue. LeBron James has exited the meeting. August 27, 2020, accessed on August 27, 2020 .

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