Orlando and Disney World Emerge as Leading Candidate for Restart of 2019-20 NBA Season and This Seems Perfect
By Michael Luciano
Disney World is often billed as the most magical place on Earth, and there is a chance that it becomes the most wondrous attraction in the sports world for a brief period.
As things grow more optimistic in the sports world (baseball excluded), the NBA is considering using locations at Disney World and the city of Orlando as a whole as a location for the league's return in the summer, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
BREAKING: Disney World in Orlando has emerged as the “clear front runner” as the location for the NBA’s return this summer, via The Athletic.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 20, 2020
In addition to Disney World, there is a chance Orlando's Amway Center is used for some games, as Florida governor Ron DeSantis has welcomed sports teams to play parts of their season in the Sunshine State.
Playing in Orlando is by no means a done deal, however, as the NBA is considering several different cities as the league's temporary home. Las Vegas has been mentioned as a potential bubble city for the NBA, as has Houston, given how both of those states have fewer per capita coronavirus cases than Florida.
The NBA has Orlando/Disney World as a clear frontrunner for return-to-play site for resuming 2019-20 season, sources tell me and @sam_amick. Orlando has gained significant seriousness among other cites such as Las Vegas.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 20, 2020
The NBA crowning a champion with Splash Mountain lingering in the background might be an unusual sight, but this entire proposal could mean that the NBA is working towards returning to action as soon as next month.
Is it perfect? Of course not. But you can't have a season plan without a clear location, and the NBA seems to be leaning towards a very isolated spot with the fewest distractions.