The NBA season is set to resume on July 30 following a ten week break due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The opening day would consist of a double-header between the Jazz and Pelicans and the Clippers and Lakers. However, the ten week break was no vacation for the players or staff. 

   Immediately following the halt of play on March 11, the NBA suspended the season for a minimum of thirty days. Within those thirty days, a multitude of meetings were held with the team managers, the NBA Players Association, doctors and the League Commissioner, Adam Silver with talks about resuming play, the potential of cancelling the season and if they were to resume the season, what plans they would implement. 

   In an interview with Bleacher Report, Silver stated, “No options are risk free right now.”

   After two months of a hiatus from the NBA, the NBA’s Board of Governors approved a plan to restart the season with a 22 team layout. This 22 team layout would restart July 30, at the Disney Wide World of Sports. The 22 teams would be separated into three separate hotels within the Walt Disney area and the hotels would not be open for the public. Thus, creating the NBA Bubble to keep the players as safe as possible during these uncertain times. 

   In an interview with the Ringer, Seventy-sixers rookie, Mattise Thybulle stated, “I’d say that the strangest part is just how separated we are.”

   While at the Walt Disney World Resorts, players, coaches and athletic staff were not able to leave or have visits from family. Once they were admitted into the bubble after extensive medical checks and multiple Covid tests, the players were in the bubble for good. 

   Milwaukee Bucks forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo, stated in an interview with the Insider, “Just going in there for like a month or a month and a half before you see your family, that’s gonna be tough.”

   With no certainty of how long the players will be in the bubble, the question was, would the players be willing to commit to such a long break from family and home. Most players agreed to the plan for the bubble with only a few players opting out for the remainder of the season. The season resumed July 30 and has been in full effect ever since. Now, nearing the end of the playoffs, the final question is, who will come out on top.