The First Book on LeBron James and the NBA Bubble Is Coming Next Year
The idea alone of LeBron James and the NBA’s top teams and coaches inside a bubble for weeks to months seemed like a movie pitch.
Whether or not the tales of T.J. Warren’s scoring prowess and the Phoenix Suns‘ winning streak will make it to the big screen is still up in the air. But come next year, a book chronicling the bubble is coming to basketball fans.
Here is the news on Bubbleball, a forthcoming book by The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver, a man who has spent recent weeks inside the Orlando bubble.
The NBA bubble has been a resounding success
Fans of the 16 teams still left in the NBA postseason may only call the bubble a success if their team hoists the Larry O’Brien Trophy in October.
Otherwise, though, the bubble has worked to perfection. There have been no positive COVID-19 tests for players across the last five weeks.
All-Stars like Damian Lillard, James Harden, and LeBron James all continued their strong play inside the bubble. But others, like former Knicks star-turned Blazers reserve Carmelo Anthony and Pacers forward T.J. Warren took advantage of the NBA’s restart in a big way.
Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns won all eight of their bubble games. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo showed his humanity (and his faults) when he earned a suspension for headbutting an opposing player.
Given the lack of positive tests, the entertainment value, and the strong ratings (especially with the playoffs going up against the Democratic National Convention and Fox News), it’s hard to view the bubble as anything but a resounding success.
Only select media members are inside the bubble
Part of why the NBA bubble has been so productive is the league emphasized essential personnel only.
Instead of the 30 reporters that cover one team all traveling to Orlando, one or two went instead. The rest spoke with players and coaches over Zoom and filed their stories remotely.
Many of the league’s notable media personalities, from news-breakers Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc Stein to announcers Doris Burke, Mike Breen, and Ian Eagle, are inside the bubble, too.
Media members, just as the players and coaches did, had to quarantine upon arrival and undergo frequent testing.
The first book on LeBron James and the bubble is coming next year
Although the NBA hopes it can begin the 2020-21 season with a return to normalcy, the concept of teams playing in the bubble won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Ben Golliver, a sportswriter for The Washington Post, is taking advantage of that fact. Golliver, who is on-site inside the bubble, recently announced he is working on a book, Bubbleball, that chronicles his stay in Orlando.
According to a press release shared by Awful Announcing, Bubbleball “will take readers inside and offer a unique and captivating chronicle of the battle for the 2019-20 championship.”
In that same press release, which Golliver posted on Facebook, he called the NBA’s 2019-20 season “one of the most pivotal years in NBA history.”
“After months of uncertainty and debate, the NBA concluded that a bubble was its best shot to crown a champion and avoid the financial catastrophe of a lost postseason. Against that complex backdrop, BUBBLEBALL will explore a fierce title chase and illuminate the many quirks of my life inside the bubble.”
The book is scheduled for release in May 2021. As of August 20, the book is currently available for pre-order through Barnes and Noble. It was not listed on Amazon at publication.
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