The travel dates for the 22 NBA teams heading to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando for the league’s restart in late July have been revealed.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, teams will travel between July 7-9. The travel assignments are as follows:
- July 7: Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards
- July 8: Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings
- July 9: Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors
The season itself is tentatively set to resume on July 30, and the restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be extensive, with a 108-page book of medical protocols given to teams.
Those include coronavirus testing each night, players being prohibited from going into the hotel rooms of other players, no jersey swaps after games and players showering in their hotel rooms after games rather than at the arena.
It’s an unprecedented setup given the complications caused by the coronavirus.
Having games without fans would be strange enough, but resuming the season in a bubble environment while having players, coaches, team staff and media members following strict social distancing guidelines enacted by the NBA would have been hard to conceive of before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But for the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, it’s the NBA’s new reality.
