How to Watch the NBA from Australia (Now That It's On In the Disney Bubble)

They’ll be ballin’ at the happiest (?) place on Earth.

It’s been more than four months since the NBA suspended play of its 2019/2020 season, as a result of Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert contracting COVID-19 (and after he jokingly touched a bunch of microphones to make light of coronavirus: yeah, great bit).

The NBA was the first of the major sporting codes to temporarily call off its season. However, league commissioner Adam Silver and the individual team owners declined to cancel it completely, deciding instead to keep its players in a bubble for the playoffs (and a few exhibitions to settle the remaining spots in the Eastern/Western conferences).

So, even though the virus continues to spread rapidly throughout America, and especially in Florida, the NBA season will (sorta) pick-up where it left off on 30 July (local time) at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Players, coaches and staff have spent two weeks leading up to tip-off in a special Disney World hotel bubble, to ensure they aren’t contaminated by outsiders, and are regularly tested to maintain the integrity of their COVID-proof space. Here's how they're passing the time:

birthday vibes 🥳 @Thanasis_ante43 @Giannis_An34
pic.twitter.com/QOyETYgEhM

— NBA Bubble Life (@NBABubbleLife) July 19, 2020

Meal time with @MatisseThybulle

“You know what’s tragic. I don’t have a fork.” 🤣🤔 pic.twitter.com/MNibZz39Dz

— NBA Bubble Life (@NBABubbleLife) July 11, 2020

trez teaching pat beverly & lou will how to fish 🎣 pic.twitter.com/ha0Drwx1W2

— NBA Bubble Life (@NBABubbleLife) July 14, 2020

a quarantine mishap in two parts ☹️☹️ pic.twitter.com/hLWdoFQ8pE

— NBA Bubble Life (@NBABubbleLife) July 13, 2020

Um, let’s see how this goes!

When and where can I watch it from Australia?

Since Australia’s time zone is futuristic, the season will actually recommence here on Friday 31 July.

If you have NBA League Pass, you can get access to every game from season restart through Playoffs and Finals (and access to the full 19 – 20 season on-demand). Newbies get a seven-day free trial, and then have to pay $68.99. Otherwise, you can pay $39.99 monthly.

On the streaming service Kayo, you’ll get access to a select number of games. They include the following to begin with:

Fri 31 Jul at 8.30am: Utah Jazz v New Orleans Pelicans

Fri 31 Jul at 11.00am: LA Clippers v Los Angeles Lakers

Sat 1 Aug at 8.30am: Milwaukee Bucks v Boston Celtics

Sat 1 Aug at 11.00am: Dallas Mavericks v Houston Rockets

Kayo’s basic plan is $25 a month, following a 14-day free trial. (Affiliate disclosure: Student Edge may earn a commission if you click that link and buy a product from our partner's page.)

Foxtel subscribers will also be able to watch select games from the ESPN broadcasts.

What should I look out for in the bubble?

There will be 88 games played by 22 teams (the teams with zero playoffs chance didn’t get invited). As the NBA restart website explains, "The 22 teams consist of the 16 teams (eight per conference) in current playoff positions and the six teams that are currently six games or fewer behind the eighth seed in their respective conferences."

However, even though each of the bubbled teams have a shot at the championship, some have been decimated by either positive COVID-19 tests or players declining to attend. For example, the Denver Nuggets have been forced to play tallball, given they don’t have a starting player shorter than 6ft 7in, while the Brooklyn Nets (home of Kyrie Irving, who has loudly voiced his opposition to the NBA’s return) are so understaffed, they basically need JobKeeper.

On the flip side, the struggling Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers have been given a lifeline by the delay, with their injured supporting (in the case of the Blazers) and star (in the case of Philly’s Ben Simmons) players back, ready and repaired. Meanwhile, LeBron seems set to stop at nothing to collect his fourth chip, and first with the LA Lakers.

As a response to the recent Black Lives Matter protests that have rocked the US (and the world), 'Black Lives Matter' has also been painted on the court. Players are  able to wear statements of protests on their jerseys (though, controversially, only from an approved list supplied by the NBA). Players are nonetheless making a point to address the current political situation in their press appearances, to keep attention on police brutality and the deaths of black men and women in police custody. You will want to heed their words, even amid the distraction of their hooping.

Following the LA Clippers' first game in over four months, Paul George used his postgame media session as a call to justice for Breonna Taylor and George Floyd 🙏🏾 https://t.co/HP0mljbacT pic.twitter.com/STGyJQTsV1

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 23, 2020

"I don't understand why federal troops need to be on the ground and physically removing people from the streets. I feel like it's unnecessary, and it's definitely a scary situation." - @Dame_Lillard pic.twitter.com/0Rw8NPoYvV

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) July 23, 2020

Here is the NBA restart court in Orlando: the spaced out chairs are the socially distanced bench, Black Lives Matter is written on the court. pic.twitter.com/XGJu1w4QLC

— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) July 21, 2020

“We want the cops arrested who committed that crime.”

LeBron demands justice for the killing of Breonna Taylor after the Lakers’ first scrimmage

(via @BenGolliver)pic.twitter.com/yhvXKA98TO

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 24, 2020

The games themselves will look different for a variety of different reasons too. With no audience in sight, Disney World has installed video boards to replicate the visual of a cheering crowd.

The @MiamiHEAT tried to make it feel more like home with fans chanting "Let's go Heat!" and "Defense!" on the video board.

(via @espn)pic.twitter.com/Wj9J0HpMEv

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 23, 2020

And then, of course, there’s this.

omg i love this already pic.twitter.com/wOy6bQncqq

— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) July 22, 2020

Gonna be a weird series folks!

plz plz plz remember to wear ur mask 😷 pic.twitter.com/9GfzJJZgKT

— NBA Bubble Life (@NBABubbleLife) July 20, 2020

Header Image: Kevork Djansezian via GettyImages