Nikola Vucevic had to raise her voice a little to answer a question. He had just left the court after the Orlando Magic’s first restart practice, and some of his teammates stayed on while participating in a loud and enthusiastic shooting contest.
After four months, basketball really had returned.
Large-scale practices within the NBA bubble in the Complejo ESPN Wide World of Sports in Walt Disney World Resort They started Thursday, with the Magic, the first team to arrive on campus earlier this week, becoming the first team formally back on the court. By Thursday’s close, the 22 teams that participated in the restart were to register at their hotels and begin their isolation from the rest of the world for at least several weeks. And by Saturday, all teams should have practiced at least once.
“It’s great to come back after four months,” said Vucevic. “We all missed it.”
The last eight teams would arrive Thursday, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers. Lakers forward LeBron James lamented waving goodbye to his family, and 76ers forward Joel Embiid, who raised a few eyebrows earlier this week when he said he was “not a big fan of the idea” of Restarting the season in a bubble, he appeared for his team’s flight in what appeared to be a complete hazardous materials suit.
“I just left the crib to go to the bubble … I hate leaving the #JamesGangJames posted on Twitter.
Another last-day arrival on the Disney campus was reigning NBA champion Toronto Raptors, who boarded the buses for the two-hour trip to the bubble from Naples, Florida, where they have been for approximately two weeks, training at the Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers The buses were specially wrapped for the occasion, with the Raptors logo and the words’Black Lives Matter’ on the sides.
Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns were all set to practice Thursday, along with the Magic. Denver Nuggets were originally scheduled but delayed their opening session until Friday. For Saturday, the practices will be constant: 22 teams will train at different times in a 13 1/2 hour window and will be distributed in seven different facilities.
Exhibition games begin July 22. The games actually restart again on July 30.
“It just felt good to be back on the court,” said Brooklyn interim coach Jacque Vaughn, who took over Kenny Atkinson less than a week before the season suspension on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic. “I think it was the most exciting thing. We have a little conditioning underneath us. It wasn’t too hard after the quarantine, I wanted the guys to just go up and down a little bit and feel the ball again.”
The teams, for the most part, had to wait two days after arriving before they could get to the practice floor. Many players have spent time with video games; The center of Miami HeatMeyers Leonard, with the Heat not practicing for the first time until Friday, has been giving fans a glimpse of everything from his game setup to ordering room service for his first dinner at Disney, packed with chowder. lobster, a hamburger, chicken strips and a bit of Coors Light.
Food has been a big topic of conversation so far, especially after a handful of gamers turned to social media to share what were described as less-than-excellent meals during the short quarantine period.
“For the most part, everything has been pretty good in my opinion,” Nets guard Joe Harris said. “They have done a good job taking care of us and making sure to accommodate us in all areas as much as possible.”
Learning campus has been another key for the first few days, and that process will likely continue for a while as teams will use all kinds of different facilities while returning to the practice routine.
“We have to make the most of it,” said Vucevic. “You know, this is our job. We’re going to try to make the best of it. I really think the NBA did its best to make this the best it can be for us. And once we start playing, you’re not going to think about the little things. “
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