Bubbleball

When Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020, the NBA halted its season almost overnight. As the pandemic spread, the 2020 title looked likely to go unawarded. Four months later, 22 teams returned to competition inside a closed, single-site environment at Disney World, sealed off from the outside world through careful planning.

The league admitted only a small number of reporters. To join them, they had to give up some medical privacy, stay in a hotel room for more than three months, and undergo daily coronavirus testing to help keep the environment secure. In return, they got courtside seats at dozens of games played in nearly empty arenas. Ben Golliver, The Washington Post's national NBA writer, was among those granted access.

The book follows that season and daily life inside the bubble. It covers how basketball found its way back after the stoppage, the social justice protests players staged that drew headlines, and LeBron James's pursuit of a fourth championship ring under unusual conditions. Drawn from months of reporting in that confined setting, it offers an inside look at one of the most unusual seasons in league history.