At around 7:45 p.m. ET on March 11, 2020, NBA commissioner Adam Silver emerged from his Fifth Avenue office and stepped out into a brisk Manhattan night. A car awaited him. He ducked in. And his phone rang.
As it did, across America, life moved. Uneasiness had begun gnawing at some citizens. But many approached this Wednesday evening like any other. Nick Fasulo, a Bay Area marketing director, greeted his fiancée and hopped on a call with their wedding planner. Brad Spencer, a Utah IT admin, departed for a night class en route to his college degree. Booker Blakley, an Oklahoma geometry teacher, settled into his 200-level seat at Chesapeake Energy Arena, and watched as Thunder and Jazz players warmed up below.