LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.—The sound of squeaking sneakers cut through the mural painted walls, the first sign of normalcy returning to the NBA bubble. One by one, players shuffled down hallways and stepped off buses on Friday, ducking through powder blue doors that led to practice floors, ready to go back to work. At 12:39 pm, the NBA and NBPA released a joint statement announcing new league commitments to social justice. The league, officially, was back.
It has been a harrowing 48 hours for the NBA, for the players, a tense stretch that began with the Milwaukee Bucks decision not to play in Game 5 of its first round series against Orlando—a choice made to bring attention to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year old Black man in Kenosha, Wisc.