The NBA is going full steam ahead with its plan for a bubble league in Orlando. The league and the NBPA announced that they had finalized plans for the upcoming restart at Disney World, and despite 16 positive cases of COVID-19 from its first round of testing, things are falling into place for basketball to return at the end of July.
Following the announcement on Friday afternoon, a collection of individuals atop the league’s hierarchy held a press conference in which they addressed the media’s questions about the bubble league. While on the call, Adam Silver gave a sobering read on the entire situation: With the novel coronavirus being something that is not going away any time soon, he is of the belief that it is in the league’s best interest to “adapt.”
On conference call with reporters, Adam Silver says, “We are left with no choice but to learn to live with this virus. No options are risk-free right now.”
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) June 26, 2020
Adam Silver on a conference call just now, “We can’t sit on the sidelines indefinitely. We must adapt…We believe it will be safer on our campus than off it. But this is not business as usual.”
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 26, 2020
Adam Silver: “We’re coming back because sports matter in our society. They bring people together when they need it the most.”
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) June 26, 2020
Silver on evaluating COVID data: “My conclusion is that we can’t outrun the virus and this is what we’re going to be living with for the foreseeable future.”
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) June 26, 2020
Silver also addressed a gigantic concern that, well, everyone has about the bubble league: what, exactly, happens if community spread of COVID-19 occurs in the friendly confines of Disney? As he explained it, this sort of scenario could lead to the league deciding to pull the plug on the bubble league experiment, but he made it a point to say that an exact plan has not been laid out.
Silver admits that an outbreak amongst the players could lead to a stoppage, but the format on that “hasn’t been exactly designed.”
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) June 26, 2020
Adam Silver says that any one positive test, no matter the player, won’t stop things from continuing. He says the league is discussing with health officials and the players what would happen in an instance of “significant spread” but that “that line hasn’t been set yet.”
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 26, 2020
Adam Silver says that if there is a “significant spread” of COVID-19 in the bubble, “that may lead us to stopping” play.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) June 26, 2020
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver: “If we were to have significant spread of coronavirus through our community, that ultimately might lead us to stop it.” Says the line on when to pull plug “hasn’t been precisely designed.”
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 26, 2020
As for what is going on right now in Florida — which is viewed as one of the COVID-19 epicenters in the United States — Silver did say that the league is willing to reconsider at a certain point. For now, however, the league isn’t deterred as cases rise in the Sunshine State, and protocols will be in place for players who leave the bubble and non-NBA staffers who are inside of it.
Silver, when asked about rising cases in Florida and whether there’s a # that would cause NBA to reconsider: “We’re not saying `full steam ahead no matter what happens’…but we feel very comfortable right now with where we are.”
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) June 26, 2020
Adam Silver confirms there will be daily testing inside the bubble.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 26, 2020
“The answer is yes, the level of concern has increased — not just because of the increased levels in Florida, but throughout the country,” Silver said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “At least today, I believe, 29 of the 50 states have an increased number of cases. Of course, we designed our campus, in essence, to isolate ourselves from whatever the level of cases was in the surrounding community.
“But since we designed our initial protocol, we are continuing to work with Disney on the testing of at least a subset of their employees that could potentially be in the same room as our players, and anyone else who’s tested daily on our campus. So we are satisfied that, once we work through those additional measures with Disney, we will continue to have a safe setting for us to resume our season.”
Beyond basketball, there are questions about how the league will handle being back in the public eye during the current moment in the United States, when so much attention is on the fight against systemic inequality and police brutality. It was a major concern for a number of players, and Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum explained that while the NBA and WNBA are in positions to advocate for change due to the fact that they will be playing games, there is still work that needs to be done internally.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said: “The league needs to do a better job of hiring African-Americans at every level in the league.”
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) June 26, 2020
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the G-League needs to use to develop African-American executives for the league. “The NBA can play a unique and broader role for a voice for a greater society. But at first, we have to do a better job at home,” Silver said.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) June 26, 2020
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league and the WNBA have a great opportunity to create change. “The world’s attention will be on us in Orlando,” Silver said.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) June 26, 2020
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the league is working on a foundation, an independent organization, that would “help drive change with us.”
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) June 26, 2020
“I am encouraged that the last three GMs that have been hired are African-Americans. But we have more work to do,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said. Tatum added that there is a need for more opportunities for women as well.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) June 26, 2020
Chris Paul, the president of the NBPA, promised that players will make their voices heard on matters of racial justice during the bubble league, while executive director Michele Roberts mentioned the opportunity that the league has to champion these issues.
Thunder guard and NBPA president Chris Paul you will “continue to hear us” in Orlando in terms of fighting for social justice.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) June 26, 2020
“This is an opportunity to learn, teach, promote and violence,” NBPA executive director Michele Roberts in terms of social justice movement.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) June 26, 2020
There is still plenty that needs to be made public about the league’s approach for Orlando, as its specific plan has not been revealed for public consumption. We will, however, learn about the schedule that will be played on Friday evening.