The Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista near Orlando, Florida. /VCG
The Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista near Orlando, Florida. /VCG
The NBA is considering resuming the suspended 2019-20 season at the Disney World Resort in Florida, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
The league saw all games halted since Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert announced he tested positive for the new coronavirus in mid-March. Considering that the situation in the U.S. keeps getting worse, it's difficult to imagine games happening in different cities as usual.
Therefore, the league was looking at "bubble" scenarios which will put all the teams in one specific location to finish the season while minimizing the risk of infection. Las Vegas had been considered, and now it's the Disney World Resort's turn.
Located in Bay Lake and the Lake Buena Vista area near Orlando, this resort has a big enough area to host NBA teams and has enough facilities to meet players' daily needs. Besides, the resort is personal property so it can close all the entrances to maintain social distancing from the general public.
A Jr. NBA World Championship game at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, August 12, 2018. /VCG
A Jr. NBA World Championship game at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, August 12, 2018. /VCG
Players will also need facilities for training and games, which they will be able to find in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near the resort, in addition to gyms and medical areas. Game broadcasting will also not be a problem here. More importantly, Florida already allowed sport events to happen as along as there are no fans in attendance.
In fact, the idea of resuming the game in the Disney World already drew attention from players. Robin Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks retweeted Charania's post commenting: "Dibs on the Polynesian!!!"
Of course there are still many issues including COVID-19 testing and schedule rearrangements to deal with but, so far, restarting in Disney World seems the best option for the NBA if it does not want to see the rest of the season cancelled.