NEWSLETTER
We’ve got big news out of the bubble, folks!
The NBA announced that ZERO of the 346 players at the bubble campus in Orlando have tested positive for COVID-19:
The NBA and NBPA have announced the following: pic.twitter.com/XLlEU5Dxty
— NBA (@NBA) July 20, 2020
With games set to tip off in 10 days, this feels like monumental news for Adam Silver and the NBA. The last update shared by the league noted that two out of 322 players tested positive for the virus. However, neither player had passed the initial two-day quarantine stage in the bubble, and therefore, easily moved into quarantine.
Of course, this doesn’t mean the NBA can let their guard now. In fact, it might as well mean the opposite.
The league has achieved what it wanted in creating a basketball environment free of COVID-19. With that being accomplished, it would be a major step in the wrong direction if the virus made its way back into the Walt Disney World bubble. Keep in mind, several players are expected to enter the bubble in the coming weeks. For example, Zion Williamson and Montrezl Harrell will have to be safely acclimated back into the environment after leaving Orlando for family emergencies. Additionally, players such as Russell Westbrook, Eric Bledsoe, and Harrison Barnes — who have all tested positive for COVID-19 while outside of the bubble — intend to join their team in the near future and will also need to be brought in safely. And we cannot forget about staff members coming in and out of the bubble daily. Ensuring these people are COVID-19 free each day is vital to the bubble’s success.
All things considered, I wonder what could this mean for the potential second bubble?
We have 10 days before the NBA re-starts its season. But if this first bubble environment proves to keep players safe, the league might feel more inclined to get the eight teams not in Orlando back on the court. I still don’t feel it’s worth it, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
