Basketball in 2020: The Victories, Losses, and Bubbles

To say that 2020 is a strange year not just for basketball but for the rest of the world is a big understatement. For basketball itself and for the millions of basketball fans around the world, 2020 is one big and long roller coaster ride. 

2020 began with the death of former National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner David Stern on January 1, 2020. Stern spearheaded the globalization of the NBA and was the reason behind the intense popularity that the league is enjoying right now. And Stern's death on New Year's Day was just the beginning.

On January 26, the basketball community was devastated by the news that the legendary Los Angeles Lakers guard, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash in California. That news crushed everyone's hearts that we saw NBA players and coaches shredding tears on the court while trying to play their respective games hours after the crash. While the NBA also dealt with other deaths such as that of former Utah Jazz Head Coach Jerry Sloan and former Boston Celtics Head Coach KC Jones, no death was more devastating to the community than the death of the Black Mamba. Remember when we were complaining that 2016 took many celebrities from us? 

As devastating as the deaths were for NBA fans, what happened in March was something that nobody predicted as we saw the entire world heading to a complete stop as the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic began its onslaught as several NBA players tested positive. In the Philippines, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) halted the season after just playing one game while the four teams in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) were on the road to decide who will play in the MPBL Finals before the league postponed Game Threes of both North and South Finals.

The postponement of the basketball leagues had us Filipinos asking ourselves: How are we going to survive without basketball? 

Fortunately, basketball returned to life even if it's not the normal way. Bubbles were put up. There was the NBA bubble in Orlando. There was the PBA bubble in Clark. There were even multiple bubbles for the 2021 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Cup qualifiers. Even the National Basketball League (NBL) held a bubble in Pampanga to finish this year's President's Cup. 

While the PBA and the NBA bubble faced some glitches, both succeeded in showing the rest of the pack that it can be done. In the end, it was the Los Angeles Lakers who won the 2020 NBA championship- their first since 2010 with Kobe Bryant leading the way. In the PBA, the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings ended their 13-year dry spell in the Philippine Cup after beating a depleted TNT Tropang Giga team in the PBA Finals. Meanwhile, Gilas Pilipinas won back-to-back games against Thailand inside the Manama bubble in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers. The Filipinos also won their first-window encounter against Indonesia last February. 

Perhaps the biggest victory for Philippine basketball is the emerging of the country's first professional women's basketball league in the form of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).

It has been indeed a roller coaster ride for basketball fans but 2021 is already shaping up to be a busy year. The 2020-2021 NBA regular has already started. Clark is hosting a bubble for the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in February 2021. Kai Sotto is set to play in the NBA G-League next year. The PBA is looking to open its 46th season in April 2021.  

Photo is from Hypebeast