Excuse us while we fill your screen with some sweet news! NBA Players have been staying at select Walt Disney World Resorts as the basketball season was held safety at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Walt Disney World’s property. Twitter is now trending a sweet story, as one NBA player left his stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa with an extremely gracious tip for housekeeping (aka “Mousekeeping”).
Russell Westbrook III, an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the NBA, reportedly left an $8,000 tip for housekeeping when he left the “NBA bubble” at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
As shared by Brad Townsend, a Dallas Morning News sports reporter, on Twitter:
Only @russwest44 would be able to truly confirm this, and I doubt he will, but I'm told that he left a $8,000 tip for the Grand Floridian housekeepers when the @HoustonRockets left the NBA bubble.
Moreover, I'm told, he left the room virtually spotless.
The NBA on ESPN Twitter later revealed a closer look at the court, which features the phrase “Black Lives Matter” in large black letters. The NBA is comprised of about 80% Black players.
The NBA season resumes on July 30 in Orlando.
Here is a closer look at the court, which features the phrase "Black Lives Matter" on it.
NBA players are currently living in a “bubble” at Walt Disney World. NBA announced yesterday that no players have tested positive for COVID-19 since July 13. Even though they will be playing together on the same court, the socially distanced chairs still mitigate the risk for players, coaches, and reporters.
On July 13, the NBA and NBPA announced that two players had tested positive for COVID-19 and had returned home to isolate per CDC guidelines. Since then, all 346 players in the Walt Disney World “bubble” have been tested again and all tests came back negative.
Of the 346 players tested for COVID-19 on the NBA campus since test results were last announced on July 13, zero have returned confirmed positive tests.
In the event that a player on the NBA campus returns a confirmed positive test in the future, he will be isolated until he is cleared for leaving isolation under the rules established by the NBA and the Players Association.
NBA players within the Disney bubble are currently staying at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, and Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
Walt Disney World is preparing to welcome back the NBA for its resumed 2019-20 season starting in late July, and preparations are already underway across various resorts. However, it seems the NBA has some preparations to make of their own ahead of the start of the season, with a focus on social justice in the wake of various protests and the murder of George Floyd.
According to ESPN, the NBA is planning on painting “Black Lives Matter” on the courts they will use across Walt Disney World Resort’s ESPN Wide World of Sports. Members of the WNBA have also suggested wearing shirts with the phrase “Say Her Name” on them to bring light to female victims of police brutality, like Breonna Taylor.
Disney recently took a stand against racial inequality across all of its social media channels, emphasizing the need to “unite and speak out” against racism.
Are you looking forward to watching the NBA resume its season at the Most Magical Place on Earth?
We previously announced the NBA is coming to Walt Disney World! It has been confirmed that Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will be hosting the games likely beginning at the end of July. Due to the health guidelines, it is believed the NBA will require all players to remain onsite for the duration of the season. The question now is where will they stay? Yesterday there were rumblings that they would be housed at Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House. A day later, that information may have changed.
The new Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort opening July 9 at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, takes its inspiration from the Disney animated short film “Destino.” (Steven Diaz, photographer)
The most recent reports are coming in from an NBA Reporter name Kevin Smith. Smith states:
First Tweet: “Walt Disney World sources, Disney and the NBA have agreed that Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is likely to be the primary host resort for the NBA when they resume the season. Sources say an agreement may be reached this week, which will allow preparations to move quickly.”
Second Tweet: “Other Walt Disney World resorts remain under consideration to host the NBA, but Coronado Springs offers the best package of rooms, resources and proximity to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Still a possibility that multiple resorts are used for the NBA, per WDW sources.”
A third Tweet shares: “Coronado Springs has over 2,000 hotel rooms between their campus style buildings & the 15-story Gran Destino tower. It all surrounds a contained lake with pools, boating, and walking/jogging paths.. In addition, the property has over 220,000 sq. ft. of convention space attached.”
We’d agree with Kevin, that yes, Coronado Springs does seem to have the rooms and convention space that could house the NBA players. While Coronado Springs is rumored to be the front runner, other rumored resorts include Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Four Seasons Orlando.
