Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

NBA’s return puts all eyes and spotlight on Orlando at Disney

ByJacob Warfle|
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - NOVEMBER 05: In this handout photo provided by Disney Parks, a view of fireworks, holiday lights and fanfare at Cinderella's Castle during a taping of Disney Parks Presents a Disney Channel Holiday Celebration at Walt Disney World Resort on November 05, 2017 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The holiday special is available on the DisneyNOW app beginning November 24 and officially premieres on Disney Channel December 1, 8-9:30 p.m. ET (Photo by Todd Anderson/Disney Parks via Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - NOVEMBER 05: In this handout photo provided by Disney Parks, a view of fireworks, holiday lights and fanfare at Cinderella's Castle during a taping of Disney Parks Presents a Disney Channel Holiday Celebration at Walt Disney World Resort on November 05, 2017 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The holiday special is available on the DisneyNOW app beginning November 24 and officially premieres on Disney Channel December 1, 8-9:30 p.m. ET (Photo by Todd Anderson/Disney Parks via Getty Images)

The NBA will be making its return in a “campus environment” hosted at Walt Disney World Resort. What does this mean for the city of Orlando and the Orlando Magic?

In 1989, it seemed nearly impossible that Orlando would be home to an NBA team. Now 31 years later, Orlando will host the entire league for the remainder of the regular season and the entirety of the playoffs.

Well, almost the entire league. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA will invite 22 teams to Orlando to participate in an abbreviated version of the regular season and a possible play-in for the 8th seeds. The playoffs will then take place in standard fashion.

As many have reported over the past couple of weeks, the NBA is planning on partnering with Walt Disney World Resort as a host site. It is assumed that games would likely take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, a 220-acre complex featuring three basketball arenas — a facility the league will share with MLS for its tournament to resume the season.

With Disney’s roughly 25 total hotels, Orlando has always seemed like a no-brainer for the NBA. Although details are still being ironed out, Disney will serve as a “campus environment” to ensure the health and safety of all those involved.

For the Orlando Magic, the thought of the entire NBA playoffs happening in their backyard is an exciting one. As the “home” team, the Magic will be operating on a higher profile than they have in quite a few years.

Currently slotted as the eighth seed in the East, the Magic will control their own destiny with the remaining eight regular-season games said to be played.

How will this move impact the city of Orlando? Now that is a bigger question.

The Magic might not be in the bubble for long, but every eye in the nation really will be fed images of Central Florida. Players will all get to see Orlando in the summertime and at least a taste of what the area is like.

The Orlando Informercial

This is by all accounts a PR person’s dream.

Talking about the city of Orlando or the Orlando Magic franchise themselves — the value of this move can not even be quantified. It will serve as a nationally broadcasted public representation of Orlando, in the most positive sense.

Think “infomercial” that people actually care about.

Positive brand association is not the only positive for Orlando. It is widely known the impact that hosting an NBA All-Star Weekend can have on a city. This, in terms of visibility, is that — times 100.

For almost four months, Orlando will be the hub for all things NBA. It will be home for the media and all other constituents. Players and their families will likely be housed at a Disney World Resort hotel and be given access to some of the millions of attractions that Disney has to offer. This will be fantastic for families and paint the area in a positive light.

Of course, players likely will not be able to leave the “campus” at Disney. Everyone entering the area will be tested constantly to ensure the virus does not get in the NBA circle again. Everyone may very well be confined to the hotel they are staying at for the majority of the event.

NBA all in one place

There are historical ramifications as well.

More from Orlando Magic Daily

According to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, at no point in the history of North American professional sports has an entire league been sequestered in a single location for an extended period of time. This is unprecedented and will never be forgotten.

Future NBA fans and members of the media will forever look back at the ending of the 2020 NBA season – all taking place in Orlando.

As details continued to get finalized more of potential impact will become clear. When Disney began its relationship with the NBA, I’m not sure that they ever saw this coming.

Some seasons in the NBA run together and are forgotten. As time moves on, games become seasons, which become decades. I’m not so sure this will be the case with 2020. In the middle of a global pandemic, the league will convene in one place and crown a champion.

And that place is Orlando.

When the 2020 champion is crowned, they will do so on an Orlando floor. And everyone will know this was at Orlando.

Will that have an effect on the Magic’s chances in the future? That is unknown. Nobody will get to experience Orlando itself — or much of Disney outside of the resort they are living in. And nobody will get to see the Amway Center or the Magic’s own facilities.

But all eyes will be on Orlando nonetheless. And this has the chance to change how everyone views the market.