As the world was plunged into chaos during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the NBA was forced to take drastic measures to protect the health of its players and fans. That season, instead of the typical playoff tournament, each playoff team faced off in a quarantined zone at Orlando with no live fans and nothing to distract from the action. According to LeBron James, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to the championship that year, it was the game in its purest form.
“I agree when a lot of people say it’s the purest form of hoops. Like, it was strictly basketball. We all have the ability to do whatever we want in life. We’ve made a bunch of money, and have all the access, but that was gone in the bubble. You can’t just ‘I’m about to go to a restaurant’ or ‘I’m about to do this’ — you can’t do none of that. Everything in the bubble was strictly about basketball,” said James on ‘Mind the Game’ podcast with Steve Nash. “Obviously, we were there talking a lot about the off-the-court thing going on like social injustice, and police brutality, but when the basketball portion was the focus, that’s all it was. Of all my championships I’ve won, that level of focus… like, how long can you maintain your focus to get the job done? You have all the reasons you want to get out of focus because you’re so accustomed to a certain lifestyle that you’re like, ‘to hell with this, I don’t want to do this, why am I here?’ I can’t get a certain meal, I can’t do this, I can’t see my family, and you can very easily get out of why you’re there.”
The NBA postponed the regular season in March before taking a hiatus as the worst of the virus spread around the world. The league agreed to finish the season in the Orlando “bubble,” where the Lakers were among 22 teams invited to participate.
The rules were pretty strict at the time, with players prohibited from leaving the area. Many of them had to spend weeks or months away from their home and families while submitting to regular COVID-19 screenings and tests.
The conditions were so unfamiliar that teams and players became miserable after just a few weeks, and some even gave up entirely. The Clippers, who were considered favorites in the West that year, gave up a potential title during the bubble, with the players wanting to leave so badly that they may have thrown their playoff series against the Denver Nuggets.
But even as bad as things were behind the scenes, having no distractions on the court made for an exceptional viewing experience for the fans. The game was really in its purest form then, with the focus entirely on basketball over any outside noise.
Against all odds and unprecedented obstacles, the Lakers won the championship that season, and it’s a testament to their ability to adapt and persevere through any situation. As a natural leader and proven winner, it’s no surprise that LeBron refused to let his team lose their focus, and it’s no surprise that he managed to outplay nearly everyone on the court with averages of 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game on 59% shooting in the Finals.
What happened that year we may never see again, and it’s a moment that will forever be remembered in Lakers history. For James, it was also a chance to experience the game in a fresh, unfiltered way that brought out a whole new level of competition.
