Disney’s relationship with the National Basketball Association (NBA) has been a strong one which was demonstrated during the height of the pandemic when Disney hosted the “NBA Bubble” within their resorts to keep the sport alive in a safe way while holding NBA games at ESPN Wide World of Sports. We can remember back to special NBA merchandise released by Disney and even one of the NBA players leaving an $8,000 tip for housekeeping (AKA “Mousekeeping”). Prior to the pandemic, Disney closed the former DisneyQuest on the west side of Disney Springs and reopened the space as the NBA Experience. The grand opening was held on August 12, 2019, and we were there for the excitement.
Sad news is being reported today however as it seem the NBA Experience has not survived the pandemic and will be closing permanently. As shared by reporter Scott Gustin via Twitter on August 16: ” BREAKING: The NBA Experience at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World will not reopen and is permanently closed.”
BREAKING: The NBA Experience at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World will not reopen and is permanently closed. pic.twitter.com/c4fZOXNHMh
Gustin continues with: “Disney says this will not impact their other partnerships with the NBA or their business relationship with the Orlando Magic. Disney will share an update about the future of the NBA Experience location at a later date.”
Currently, The NBA Experience webpage is still available through the Walt Disney World website. Most all of the experiences are high-touch which means it likely didn’t make the cut because of the COVID precautions that would need to be in place to reopen the experience. Even though The NBA Experience actually had its doors open for less than a year before they closed due to COVID in March 2020, it never seemed to be a majorly popular Disney experience outside of its initial reopening.
A brand new attraction is open at Disney Springs. The NBA Experience held its Grand Opening on August 12. There were plenty of NBA and WNBA superstars on hand to celebrate the day, including Grant Hill and Kareen Abdul-Jabbar. Also in attendance were CEO of The Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger, and Adam Silver, who is the current NBA Commissioner. Mickey and Minnie were there as well to get the party started.
The NBA Experience is broken up into different activities. Some of these are physical, to make you feel like you are a star player. Others do not require you to try to make a basket. There are activities for all skill levels and all ages.
Dunk – Allows you to dunk like a pro. If you don’t think that you can reach the basket, that isn’t a problem. The basket is adjustable, so you can set it to your perfect height. You’ll be able to make the shot every time without breaking a sweat. If you want the challenge, move the basket higher.
Shoot – Requires a little bit of skill, but anyone can have fun with it. You’ll play on a court that feels real, and shoot against the clock. There is a virtual crowd there to cheer you on. It tests players to see how many shots they can make from different areas of the court in just 15 seconds.
Dribble – Teaches you a skill. You will warm up, and then learn the basics of dribbling. It has guests work with an interactive coach to show the drills and skills they need to become the next great point guard
Slingshot – Puts a ball into a slingshot, and then release it and hope that it goes into the basket.
Arcade – Has a couple of different activities. You can race the clock and try to score as many points as possible. You can play Pop-A-Shot, which is perfect for guests of all ages. You can also try your hand at some NBA related video games.
Combine – Measures visitors’ wingspan, reach and vertical leap. Once the results are in, the interactive screen will show how guests compare to today’s most popular NBA stars like Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and more. If you get discouraged after your combine results, have no fear: There are plenty of interactive basketball activities to help guests sharpen their skills on the court.
Trivia – An NBA and WNBA trivia game. You’ll play against the others in the room. The questions are random, so you can’t learn the answers and then go back and beat everyone else in the room.
Champions – A great way to learn more about the NBA and the WNBA. There are screens where you can look up past championships, learn stats from the games, watch videos, and more.
Replay – Let’s you become the ref! You will watch a clip from a game and then decide whether or not the ref made the right call.
Theaters – Allows you to watch two different ten minute films. You will be able to be part of a player’s world, or experience pro basketball through the eyes of a fan.
There are also activities that are designed to make you feel like an NBA or WNBA player.
Draft – Allows you to be the number one draft pick! You will learn which team has drafted you, and then there’s a picture opportunity with Adam Silver (he’s wax). You’ll then see your picture, “wearing” the team’s hat, in the My Disney Experience App.
Players – Takes you inside a locker room. You will then see what one looks like. During the season, you will also be able to see real time stats of current games.
Trophy Moments – Offers great picture opportunities. You can feel like an MVP when you have your picture taken with both the NBA MVP Trophy and the NBA Championship Trophy.
The NBA Experience is also filled with other things that you will want to check out. You can measure your hand against the size of a basketball great’s hand. You can literally measure up against a couple of players.
The NBA Store is located right next to the NBA Experience. You’ll find plenty of team related items, as well as Disney’s take on things. One thing to keep in mind, you will not find food or beverages for sale inside the NBA Experience. You can leave and purchase something to eat elsewhere, and then return.
Tickets for The NBA Experience cost $29 for those three through nine, and $34 for ten and older, plus tax. All activities are included with your ticket. If you’re looking for a break from the theme parks or something to do on a rainy day, this could be the answer. Remember, you don’t have to be a basketball expert in order to have a great time.
The official opening of the new NBA Experience is set for August 12th, 2019. In advance of the opening, the merchandise store for the location is already open and ready for guests. Guests will find a variety of great items at the store like clothing, matted basketball photography, special Loungefly backpacks, collectibles, hats and other great items that basketball fans will love. There is also a special station where guests can personalize Magic Bands, water bottles, phones, etc. for purchase.
Here are some of the previously announced details for NBA Experience from Disney Parks Blog:
When you enter NBA Experience, you’ll feel like you’re walking through the players’ tunnel out onto the court at an NBA or WNBA arena.
A ticket to NBA Experience grants you access to every activity in any order you choose, and you can return to stations multiple times to try and improve your performance or learn more about the game, the players and the teams you love.
In an activity that tests shooting skills, spots will light up on the court as you move from one location to another attempting to sink as many shots as possible in 15 seconds.
In a slam dunk challenge, you can change the height of a standard 10-foot-tall rim to as low as seven feet so you can perform your own superstar moves – captured by burst photography.
See how you stack up to some of the world’s best basketball players by measuring your vertical leap, wingspan, and shooting and dribbling skills.
Various activities can be personalized with your name and associated with your favorite NBA or WNBA teams, and your stats will be tracked just like a real pro game.
Real-time technology will aggregate stats of NBA and WNBA games and players for continuous updates, while leaderboards will show top NBA Experience performers throughout the day – will your name be at the top?
Tickets are already available for NBA Experience. For guests that are interested in purchasing tickets, they are on sale for $34, plus tax for guests ages 10 and older or $29, plus tax for guests ages 3 to 9. They are available at locations where Walt Disney world theme park tickets are sold, including online.
