page_title: 2020 NBA Bubble
section_title: Resumption of the season
hierarchical_section_title: 2020 NBA Bubble / Resumption of the season
caption_attribution_description: From left to right: Red (original) MagicBand, Blue MagicBand 2 with Icon, Green MagicBand 2 without Icon, MagicKeeper with Green Icon. Note: Name to the left of the Blue MagicBand 2 has been edited out for privacy purposes.
context_page_description: The 2020 NBA Bubble, also referred to as the Disney Bubble or Orlando Bubble, is the isolation zone at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, that was created by the National Basketball Association to protect its players from the COVID-19 pandemic during the final eight games of the 2019–20 regular season and throughout the 2020 NBA playoffs. Twenty-two out of the 30 NBA teams were invited to participate, with games being held behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and the teams staying at Disney World hotels.
  The bubble is a $170 million investment by the NBA to protect its 2019–20 season, which was initially suspended by the pandemic on March 11, 2020. On June 4, the NBA approved the plan to resume the season at Disney World, inviting the 22 teams that were within six games of a playoff spot when the season was suspended. Although initially receiving a mixed reaction from players and coaches, the teams worked together to use the bubble as a platform for the Black Lives Matter movement.
context_section_description: On June 16, 2020, the NBA released a medical protocol that will be used during the season restart in the bubble to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches, officials, and staff. This includes regular testing for COVID-19 prior to and throughout the season restart, wearing a face covering or mask, and social distancing to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 from occurring. Players and coaches who are deemed "high-risk individuals" by their team, or players who have already suffered season-ending injuries prior to season suspension, will not be permitted to play and will also not lose any salary. Any player who is medically cleared may also decline to participate but they will lose their corresponding paychecks.
  The protocol outlined six phases to ensure a smooth transition into the bubble and a successful end to the season:
  Phase 1 of the plan ran from June 16 to 22, consisting of players traveling back to the home cities of their respective teams.
  In Phase 2 from June 23 to June 30, COVID-19 tests began being administered to players every other day.
  In Phase 3 from July 1 to July 11, mandatory individual workouts were conducted at team facilities, but group workouts were prohibited.
  Phase 4 was from July 7 to July 21, consisting of the teams traveling to Disney World and conducting practices. Any player who tested positive in the previous phases could not travel until being medically cleared to do so. Once teams arrive in Orlando, players and staff were isolated in their rooms, required to pass two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests 24 hours apart before being let out of this quarantine. They will still be regularly tested for COVID-19 afterwards throughout the season. A player who tests positive will be isolated and re-tested in case of a false positive; if COVID-19 is definitely confirmed, he will be quarantined for at least 14 days to recover. Players and staff will not be permitted into another's room, nor will they be able to socialize with players on other teams staying at a different hotel building. They will have access to food and recreational activities within their hotel's bubble, but they will have to wear masks indoors except when eating. Anybody who leaves the bubble without prior approval will have to be quarantined for at least 10 days.
  During Phase 5 from July 22 to 29, teams played three scrimmages against the other teams staying at the same hotel.
  During Phase 6, as the regular season seeding games and playoffs are under way and teams begin to be eliminated from contention, players and staff on those clubs must pass one final COVID-19 test before they can leave Disney World.
  With fans not being permitted to attend in person, the NBA installed 17-foot (5.2 m) screens on the courts, which can be used to display multimedia content and a mosaic of virtual spectators powered by Microsoft Teams.
  On July 30, the season resumed as planned, with the Utah Jazz defeating the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Los Angeles Clippers. The games are to be played across three Disney venues at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex: the HP Field House, the Visa Athletic Center, and The Arena.
caption: Disney MagicBands
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