NBA Games at Disney World? Bob Iger Says “It’s About the Data, Not the Date”

It looks like Bob Iger has some thoughts on the potential of the NBA season finishing out at Disney World.

As we recently reported, Walt Disney World has been pitched as the potential location to finish out the currently paused NBA season. Now, we have more insight into discussions between Disney and the NBA regarding this possibility.

The future of the 2019-20 NBA season is still up in the air. As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, “We are not in a position to make any decisions, and it’s unclear when we will be.” As reported by USA Today, Silver held a video call with the 30 NBA team owners this Friday to discuss the remainder of this NBA season, which has been suspended since March 11th. Silver said, “I don’t mean to send any signals about the likelihood or not of restarting the season. All I can say is we’re still at a point where we don’t have enough information to make a decision.”

During the meeting, the NBA may have brainstormed several scenarios, including holding games with or without fans, at either team venues or neutral sites. But Silver did say the NBA didn’t extensively discuss how or if it would resume games in this “bubble.”

Disney executive chairman Bob Iger spoke with the NBA owners about decisions the company has made with its theme parks, theaters, and ESPN. When pressed by the owners for timelines, Iger emphasized, “It’s about the data, and not the date.” 

Silver clarified, “We’re looking for a number of new infections to come down. We’re looking for the availability of testing on a large scale. We’re looking at the path that we’re on for potentially a vaccine, and we’re looking at antivirals.” When determining when or if play can resume, the NBA will consider the policies outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whether the Chinese Basketball Association resumes play, and decisions made by other professional sports leagues.

Based on Silver’s comments, it is too soon to say whether the remainder of the 2019-20 will be played. Given Iger’s input, it seems both Disney and the NBA are committed to the safety of their guests before rushing to pick opening dates.

Do you think we’ll see NBA games played at Disney World this year? Let us know in the comments!

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