Carmelo Anthony, Kemba Walker reflect on strange times in Disney bubble
07/05/2024 10:10 PM
It was a strange time for players during the Orlando bubble. Back when COVID-19 hit in 2020, the shortened NBA season was culminated at the Walt Disney World Resort, which was converted to a biosecure basketball facility. From virtual fans to multiple teams staying in the same hotels, the whole setup was unusual for everyone involved. This led to rather interesting stories from several players, including Kemba Walker and Carmelo Anthony.
The former NBA stars opened up on what the bubble environment was like in a recent episode of the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast.
“It was kinda fun at first though,” Walker said. “We’re all going to one spot. Then you got your old teammates, your old coaches, dudes you haven't seen in a long time. You could play a game and go chill with them. Like we could all chill, that's how it was. We had like a players only floor.”
“A lot of relationships were built in the bubble,” Anthony chimed in.
Carmelo also gave his two cents, speaking about how the atmosphere felt like a camp for all the participants.
“It was just like a mosh pit of everybody on campus, it's like camp, it was almost like camp in a sense,” Anthony said. “Your team over there, your team over here. We walk by every single day, we eat in the same restaurants, we see everybody. It's time to go play, you go play, you might play at 12, you might play at 2, you might play at 4. What you didn't want to be was a n**** who ain't do nothing in the bubble, who ain't hooping in the bubble, because everybody is watching every game. That's where you really got the players’ respect.”
Kemba and Melo in the bubble
Back then, Walker was the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics while Anthony suited up for the Portland Trail Blazers. After the initial “seeding” games, Walker and the Cs found themselves as the Eastern Conference’s third seed while the Trail Blazers settled for the eighth slot in the West.
Portland immediately faced the LeBron James led Los Angeles Lakers — who ended up as the eventual champions that year. The Trail Blazers bowed out in five games, with Anthony tallying series averages of 15.2 points and 5.0 rebounds. All in all, the 10-time All-Star tallied 15.4 points and 6.3 boards throughout the entire season.
As for Kemba Walker, he was crucial in the Celtics’ run to the Conference Finals. Alongside then-rising-star Jayson Tatum, Walker led his team past the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors to set up a showdown with the Miami Hear. However, Boston would fall in six games to end their campaign. Walker finished the season with 20.4 points and 4.8 assists, garnering his fourth All-Star appearance.
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