Deep Dive: All you need to know about the

NBA ‘Bubble’
A look at all the preparations for ‘the new normal’ restart of the
league without fans.
When lockdown was imposed on 11 March, there were speculations that the
ongoing season might get called off. But as soon as lockdown was lifted, preparations
were on-board to restart the league without any delay. Guidelines were made to
ensure there’s no stone left unturned for the medical safety of players and staff. And
now when we are a fortnight away from the restart, here’s a look on how things have
panned out.

After a lot of deliberation the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney
World Resort, Orlando was finalized to be the hotspot for the reboot. The idea was
to create a ‘bubble’ , safe from any chance of infection and the smooth conduct of
the matches. The next hurdle was to come up with a schedule and the format. The
think tank came up with a solution of inviting 22 teams to Orlando and having all of
them play eight "seeding" games before starting the playoffs.

Visual look of Arena. Image: USA Today

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The next task was documentation. The league issued a 113-page health and safety
document to all teams. Here’s the gist of what it says.

The Six Phase Restart Policy

The NBA has divided the restart into 6 phases of which 3 are already underway.

Phase 1: June 12-22

The Players return to their home market and team facilities open for individual
workout but no group activity is allowed. The players are expected to quarantine at
home except for going to the facility or other essential activities. Meanwhile, they
need to complete the health questionnaire regularly.

Phase 2: June 23-30

The testing process begins. The restrictions imposed in Phase 1 are still in effect and
educational sessions are arranged to make the players and staff aware about the
pandemic.

Phase 3: July 1-10

The individual player workout is now mandatory, no group activity though. The
testing continues, and players and staff need to follow quarantine rules. Also, now
the teams are allowed to move to Orlondo by July 9. They need to follow the
guidelines upon their arrival to the complex and players must self-isolate in their
hotel rooms until they return two negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart.

Phase 4: July 10-21

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Group and Team activities are now allowed. As with the pre-Orlando guidelines,
players and staff will continue to be regularly tested for COVID-19. They can
socialize within their hotels although no player is allowed to share rooms.

Phase 5: July 22-29

Teams will begin playing scrimmages against opposing teams in Phase 5. Each team
will play three scrimmages during this portion of the plan. Regular testing will
continue and players and staff will be allowed to socialize.

Phase 6: July 30 onwards (The Restart)

All the guidelines of Phase 5 will follow and the regular season begins. If anyone
wants to go out of the complex they’ll be required to undergo additional testing and
quarantine period. In addition, basketballs will be disinfected regularly when the
season resumes.
Here’s how the format is decided.

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Here’s what the players say:

“Honestly, it feels strange.” said Aaron Gordon, Orlando forward after the first
round of practice.

“Just left the crib to head to the bubble,” LeBron James tweeted. “. . . felt like I’m
headed to do a bid, man!”

“I’ve seen guys complaining about the food and everything,” Orlando Magic center
Nikola Vucevic said. “We just got here. It wasn’t that bad. It was fine. It’s not what
we’re used to eating at home, sure. But you also have to consider they’re making
food for over 1,000 people. It’s not easy to do that.”

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Looks like the players have no choice but to oblige to the current guidelines. As we
move forward, we’re heading towards one of the most peculiar and strange displays
of the most popular league in the world.