As the NBA explores options to restart its 2019-2020 season, including hosting games in Las Vegas, one dark horse candidate has popped up as a potential locale. According to ESPN, the league is currently in talks with the Walt Disney Company to host the restarted season at Orlando’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
NBA spokesperson Mike Bass confirmed that the talks are going to ESPN, while also noting that the most important priority is still player health and safety:
Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place.
The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex provides an interesting option for the NBA; there are three arenas at the complex, allowing for multiple games to be played at once. Given that it’s an amusement park resort, there are also plenty of hotels to accommodate the influx of players, coaches, and personnel needed to restart the league.
The league has been holding talks to finalize a timetable for returning to action in recent weeks. The plan, as of now, would include a two-week quarantine period for everyone involved at the locale chosen, following by a month of training, consisting of both individual and team sessions. That would clear the way to return to the court by the end of July, as confirmed by Bass in his statement to ESPN.
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