- The NBA bubble is on, with 22 teams from across the league staying at Disney’s Wide World of Sports to finish the season.
- Players have been sharing their experiences inside the bubble on social media, taking part in activities including fishing, golfing, shot-gunning beers, and live-streaming video games.
- After some rough initial reviews, players seem to have come around on some aspects of the bubble.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The NBA bubble is officially in effect, with players expected to stay inside the Disney campus the league has put together to finish out the season in isolation.
At first, reviews of the bubble were not great from some of the NBA’s players, with disappointing food and rooms shared on players’ Instagram stories.
Since then though, the mood seems to have brightened significantly from inside the bubble, with players sharing their routines with the world through social media. A few accounts such as @NBABubbleLife have popped up, making it even easier for fans to track their favorite players as they spend their time in the bubble.
Take a look below at how NBA players are spending their days, including impressive fishing trips, some tough rounds on the golf course, and beers-chugging.
During the first few days of quarantine, several players voiced their concern about the food that was available.
Troy Daniels' dinner from night one inside the Orlando bubble.
(via @troydaniels) pic.twitter.com/AbuOGNm2ba
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 8, 2020
Houston Rockets swingman Ben McLemore was clearly disappointed with his steak.
https://twitter.com/Hou5ton4L/status/1281413584954822656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
According to Marc Stein at the New York Times, the food inside the bubble would improve once players were through their initial quarantines.
Food in the NBA bubble changes after quarantines are completed. Player meals won't look like airline trays after the first 48 hours ...
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 8, 2020
As Los Angeles Lakers guard Talon Horton-Tucker wrote on his Instagram account, things do seem to be improving, including delivery from Del Frisco's steakhouse.
https://twitter.com/NBABubbleLife/status/1282497140011397120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Beyond the food, players seem to be taking advantage of some of the entertainment options available inside the bubble outside of their hotel rooms.
https://twitter.com/NBABubbleLife/status/1282720293606154246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Fishing has become an extremely popular outlet, with players proudly posting their catch of the day to Instagram.
https://twitter.com/NBABubbleLife/status/1282387476531695616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Dallas Mavericks had some impressive catches.
https://twitter.com/NBABubbleLife/status/1282700916756377605?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Doncic posted one impressive catch he was proud of onto his Instagram story.
Luka Doncic caught himself a fish pic.twitter.com/cgX6x6Dfci
— tryler (@tylerlauletta) July 13, 2020
Darius Bazley of the Oklahoma City Thunder was excited to land his own big catch.
.@BazleyDarius fishing content is must watch 😂🎣 pic.twitter.com/5MWTfxlEV6
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 12, 2020
Beloved Mavericks big man Boban Marjanovic also caught himself a fish.
https://twitter.com/NBABubbleLife/status/1282739070603374597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Paul George and Montrezl Harrell of the Los Angeles Clippers seemed to have a successful day on the water.
PG and the Clippers are really thriving in Orlando 🎣 *NSFW*
(via @Yg_Trece) pic.twitter.com/Sfhc2LU6SA
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 12, 2020
Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons had a nice catch, but his release could still use some work.
https://twitter.com/NBABubbleLife/status/1282071153876414464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
In addition to posting pictures of the fish they caught, some NBA players are using social media to interact a bit more with fans. After a challenge from the account @NBABubbleLIfe, JJ Redick told fans that if his tweet hit 10,000 retweets, he'd shotgun a beer.
Inclement weather shut us down on 14. 10,000 retweets by tomorrow at 5 pm and I will shotgun a BL during tomorrow’s round.
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) July 11, 2020
To his surprise, fans quickly answered the call. "NBA Twitter never fails," Redick said.
"Didn't expect that tweet to get 10,000 retweets but #NBATwitter never fails," - @jj_redick 😂
👀@NBABubbleLife pic.twitter.com/q0CJ1xphBr
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 12, 2020
Redick made good on his shotgun promise while relaxing in a kiddie pool.
Sorry meant to post this earlier. Multitasking post practice. @budlight @NBABubbleLife pic.twitter.com/pBsau1SHoQ
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) July 12, 2020
After Redick's post, Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard decided to get in on the challenge. It is quite an impressive shotgun.
http://instagr.am/p/CCj6DqejcHd
The @NBABubbleLife account is ready to keep the challenge going if more players are willing to step up.
https://twitter.com/NBABubbleLife/status/1282467616720707584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Outside of fishing and beers, many players have also posted on social media during their trips to the golf course.
https://twitter.com/NBABubbleLife/status/1282494792958570497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Pelicans guard Josh Hart seemed to be having a tough round.
I think it’s safe to say Pelicans guard Josh Hart is not having the best round of golf today in the #NBABubble. pic.twitter.com/QrtFoLyC53
— Bubble NBA (@TheNBABubble) July 12, 2020
Some players chose to stay inside and beat the heat. Hassan Whiteside had his mind blown while watching the show "Naruto."
https://twitter.com/NBABubbleLife/status/1282716573577273344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Quin Cook attempted to stream a game of NBA2K with his Lakers teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Due to overwhelming demand, it was a struggle at first.
Quinn Cook tried to stream @NBA2K with LeBron and AD and they broke the park 😭
(📹: @QCook323) pic.twitter.com/8AibQCROFz
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) July 13, 2020
But eventually, the trio was able to get in the game. James scored himself a chase-down block reminiscent of one of the most memorable plays of his career.
LeBron really just got a chase-down block in 2K😂😂pic.twitter.com/yqJMrBWjzW
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 13, 2020
The Nets took to making their own game, challenging each other to roll a ball as close to the wall as possible, with the closest roll earning the win. No word on what the stakes of the game were.
The Nets are playing ‘Closest To The Wall Wins’ in the bubble 😂
(via @BrooklynNets) pic.twitter.com/Nt1oAOmjza
— ESPN (@espn) July 13, 2020
After a somewhat bumpy start, it seems like the NBA world is beginning to settle into its stay in the bubble.
https://twitter.com/NBABubbleLife/status/1282766450260758528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Read more:
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