More than four months after the NBA suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, players returned to the court for the first televised game since March 11.
The NBA spent months creating a plan to ensure the 2019-’20 season could resume, settling on a quarantine bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando. After going through quarantine and weeks of practice, the Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic faced off on Wednesday.
It marks the first time players took the court to face each other since Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 on March 11, just as the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder were about to play.
The quarantine bubble has proven been a success, with zero positive tests for the coronavirus reported earlier this week.
While the real games won’t start until July 30, the NBA’s first game in the Orlando bubble drew applause, jokes and celebration from the entire sports world.