What life is like inside the NBA bubble for reporters covering the league

While the world of basketball is transfixed on the players, their workouts and their pastimes, it is easy to forget that most of the stories that we see in our news feed comes through media members who have also joined the teams in the NBA bubble, Disney World.

Through social media we have managed to get a sneak peak into the life of media members currently quarantined in the NBA bubble. There is a sharp contrast in the experiences of NBA players and the reporters that cover them living alongside each other in the NBA bubble.

One of the most detailed accounts about the experiences of a reporter from inside NBA bubble comes from Yahoo Sports correspondent Chris Haynes. Haynes was among the first two media members to head to the NBA bubble in Orlando, two weeks before the rest of the media contingent arrived.

It’s been three weeks since arriving inside the bubble for NBA’s Disney restart. As one of only two media members allowed in weeks before anyone else, I’ve seen it all. I detail my unique experience for @YahooSports. https://t.co/j2SfYcEE6s pic.twitter.com/WiZxYyBtC3

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 19, 2020

Haynes was quarantined for seven days. He says that the first three days at the Wyndham Grand at Bonnet Creek, were comfortable. He was able to go out to restaurants and the fitness center, all while maintaining social distancing. Haynes spoke about the trepidation of receiving his daily coronavirus test results saying:

"Waiting for those results was scary. I would open up the email and brace myself each time. I always tested negative."

After three days of testing negative, Haynes was moved to his permanent lodging at Disney's Colorado Springs Resort. The LA Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics were also to be housed in the same resort as they arrived in the NBA bubble.

ESPN's Marc Spears who has finally cleared quarantine posted this on Twitter:

I’m free!!! #nba #QuarantineLife @TheUndefeated pic.twitter.com/tLpMt602f4

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 19, 2020

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press also spoke about the challenges of isolation during the quarantine period saying:

"You just have to stay busy. Luckily, there’s 22 teams here and that’s a lot of Zoom calls to fill up the day. [It was] very weird to be at Disney for the Inter Miami-Philadelphia match [on Wednesday] and not only not be able to go, but have no idea where it even was, although it was probably no more than a quarter-mile away from where I am."

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Media access to players restricted in the NBA bubble

Post game interviews are unlikely to look like this in the NBA bubble

As the players began to arrive, restrictions on media members were tightened. Access to public locations were denied, interaction with players and team staff was disallowed. Haynes wrote about how he worried that his presence would be uncomfortable to players:

"I was a little uncomfortable for them having to be in my presence. Being in the same venue with them — all the time, at all hours of the day — I didn’t want to come off like I was just a reporter looking for my next story."

Haynes also mentioned that the league had taken the matter of these regulations very seriously. Those who flouted the rules of masks and social distancing were reprimanded immediately. The 'snitch line' was used to report misconducts on the part of players and staff.

Now that the rest of the media contingent has arrived in the NBA bubble and cleared their quarantine period, strict restrictions have been put in place.

"The access I once had to roam freely across the resort is gone. Media members will now be confined to the residence space."

The league has taken drastic measures to minimize contact between the media and teams. Haynes writes:

"In order to get to practices in the convention center — which is a minute walk from our hotel — we now have to take a shuttle from the back of our premises that will unload us all in front of the convention center."

The league is taking matters of player safety very seriously and this is a good sign that strict regulations will be maintained to ensure that the season restarts smoothly in the NBA bubble.

However, one does feel for the media members who are also spending several months away from their loved ones to cover the rest of the season in the NBA bubble. While the players are enjoying their spare time fishing and golfing, the media members are confined to their hotel rooms in the NBA bubble for the foreseeable future.

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