The 2019-2020 NBA season is arguably the worst NBA season in history! This assertion is due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the death of Kobe Bryant, and numerous injuries. It makes me wonder if it will get better next season, as the new season begins, because this pandemic isn't getting any better. Will the NBA ever be the same?
There were a lot of crucial injuries that affected NBA teams last season. For example, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant all suffered injuries at some point. These players are a crucial part of their team and because they got injured, their team didn't make it to the Playoffs like they usually do. Curry broke his left hand, Thompson had a left knee injury, and Durant hurt is right Achilles’ tendon. Scott Cacciola (2020) of the New York Times said
“The Warriors were coming off five consecutive trips to the finals, winning three championships. The word “dynasty” was tossed around. They employed Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, three of the most dynamic scorers of their generation. But the magic of that run vanished as they fell to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 finals. The Warriors were undone by a series of calamities that, in hindsight, foreshadowed some of the coming challenges for the league as a whole.”
Even with player injuries, the 2019-2020 NBA season was most impacted by the pandemic. It caused the NBA to stop the season midway through. This started when Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus and many more. This caused the season to completely end until further notice. The season didn't start back up until June 30th, but this time they made history. When the season started up again they established an isolated bubble where 22 NBA teams had to play in for the rest of the season.
And then there was the death of Kobe Bryant that not only the NBA in tears, but the world. On January 26, 2020 Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash, among other victims. Kobe's legacy was honored with a funeral, which NBA players and legends attended. Also, the league paid respects to Kobe by letting the shot clock run down from 24 seconds to remember the number ‘24’ he wore. The new season is starting soon, so we must wait and see if there will be more injuries and interruptions due to Covid.
Sources
Cacciola, S. (2020) Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/sports/basketball/covid-nba-unrest-season.html
Minamdez, G. (2020) Retrieved from https://slamonlineph.com/eight-stories-that-defined-the-2019-2020-nba-season/