On March 11, NBA fans were in shock with the announcement of the NBA cancelling games. Three games were initially postponed due to Covid-19. Two Jazz players were reported to have Covid-19, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. The NBA basically went into a pause. After months of waiting, the NBA finally came up with an idea. They talked with Disney and created, “The Bubble.”  The NBA playoffs executed perfectly as planned. Now what about the next season, the NBA cannot afford to have another “Bubble.” What will Adam Silver do?

The NBA bubble offered a perfect forum for exploring critical research questions: statistics on thousands of participants, comprehensive details on who they are, with whom they were in contact, and other particulars. After the regular season was suspended on March 11, the NBA “Bubble” at Disney World required a $170 million investment. On June 5, the Board of Governors approved the format, including 22 of the 30 NBA teams. With all the players and team members following the rules, everything went smoothly. The NBA fan base was happy, as well as the commissioner, for the outstanding work the NBA did during the crisis. Now what will they do in the future? The NBA cannot afford to lose more than $170 million dollars for another bubble. Teams will have to ban fans from entering the arena, maybe they can have some fans, but there will be a limit. Recently, the commissioner said that if players disobey the new plans, their team will pay heavy fines. Outside gatherings such as clubs, bars have been restricted by the NBA. If players get caught, they will have to pay fines and their team could be heavily fined as well. Maybe teams will lose their draft picks, which can ruin the teams future. The start of the 2020-21 season will start on December 22.  Will the NBA be successful without the bubble, or will they have to postpone the games again? 

The Bubble was a huge success for the NBA, no players tested positive for the virus while staying in the bubble. People had their own chefs, gyms, basketball courts, pools, and bars. It was worth it, people got to watch online, and players got to play basketball. The NBA made good money, but not as much as they did before. Without the bubble, basketball fans wouldn’t have seen the NBA playoffs and the Los Angeles Lakers win their 17th title. Time will tell how the next season will play out. This is all a first time experience for everyone in the world. Let’s hope for the best!