The NBA season has been well underway, and there has not been any COVID-19 cases within the league in the isolated “bubble” where players live and play 24/7.

The National Basketball Association decided to resume their season on July 30 from Orlando, Florida in a bubble where players and staff of the organization are not allowed to leave. There has been zero positive COVID-19 tests in the campus at Walt Disney World.

These players had to adhere to multiple rules before entry into the bubble. Everyone coming to the bubble had to quarantine seven days prior to coming to the Orlando Bubble. They must be cleared by a physician to show they have zero risks to their health for COVID, and have not shown symptoms of the virus. Testing upon arrival is also required to enter the bubble, as well as regular testing throughout their stay in Orlando.

According to NBC Sports, there has been 341 players from the league tested regularly for COVID-19 since the bubble period has started. The NBA has proven that even during a pandemic, their system is working and may be the only way that sports are going to work until the global pandemic is over.

Even once the season started, some players left the bubble to deal with personal, family, or other matters. However, none of this has impacted the safety of the players inside the bubble. The next step in the process was allowing family members to join the players at the bubble, starting on August 30.

The NBA players were allowed one family member, spouse, or close friend into the bubble. With over 360,000 confirmed COVID cases in the state of Florida, per Yahoo Sports, both the players and their families are considered safer inside the bubble than they would be outside of the bubble.

Comparing the Orlando bubble to other leagues, the MLB (Major League Baseball) has decided to continue travels for their teams, and have ran into problems with teams getting infected throughout the season. This has caused games to be postponed, and teams to take multiple weeks off to quarantine due to players being infected by COVID. In an ESPN article, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said “I think it’s a great example for our country” when talking about the NBA bubble.

The league has proven that a bubble atmosphere has worked out better than any other situation so far during the pandemic. While there is still games to be played, and a playoff finish between the remaining teams, this has shown that the bubble is far better at keeping stability than any other situation. This will be interesting to watch upcoming fall leagues such as the NFL, and see their approach to the matter.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-announces-zero-positive-covid-19-tests-as-resumption-of-play-looms-221830030.html

https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/portland-trail-blazers/nbanbpa-reports-no-new-positive-covid-19-cases-nba-bubble

https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/portland-trail-blazers/nbanbpa-reports-no-new-positive-covid-19-cases-nba-bubble

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29601861/nba-extends-streak-spotless-covid-19-testing-orlando