[7] On June 4, the NBA Board of Governors approved 29–1 (with the lone outlier being the Portland Trail Blazers) resuming the 2019–20 season in Orlando, Florida at Walt Disney World, after prior consideration of Las Vegas and Houston as potential spots.

[9] On June 17, 2020, the NBA released a medical protocol to be used during the season restart in the bubble to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches, officials, and staff.

[10][11] This protocol included regular testing for COVID-19 prior to and throughout the season restart, wearing a face covering or mask, and physical distancing to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 from occurring.

[12] The protocol outlined six phases to ensure a smooth transition into the bubble and a successful end to the season: With fans not being permitted to attend in person, the NBA installed 17-foot (5.2 m) screens on the courts to display multimedia content and a mosaic of virtual spectators powered by Microsoft Teams.

[14][15][16][17] The games were played across three Disney venues at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex: the HP Field House, the Visa Athletic Center and The AdventHealth Arena.

[26][27] On August 20, 2020, the NBA and NBPA announced an agreement where the eight teams could have voluntary group workouts at their respective practice facilities from September 4 to October 10.

Only four players were cited for violating the rules of the bubble: Lou Williams, Richaun Holmes, Bruno Caboclo, and Danuel House.

[35][36] Players were allowed to use many of the Disney facilities, such as pools, golf courses, bicycles, gaming areas, barbers, bowling, ping pong, and spa services.

[37] RFID-enabled MagicBands, which are normally used at Walt Disney World for hotel keys and other admissions and personalization features at theme park attractions, were utilized as a check-in and contact tracing mechanism, and could be used to restrict access to practice facilities and courts if one had not completed a daily health monitoring review.

Other players complained about the food, with Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid showing his meal and said that he was "definitely losing 50 lbs", as a reference to fan gripe regarding his weight affecting his on-court performance.

[48][49] After arriving in the bubble, Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon said it felt "strange", while Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr. described the feeling as "surreal".

[53] Several players, including Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George, also commented on how being in the bubble affected their mental health.

Game feeds had been augmented in real-time to insert graphics on the court's floor such as the "home" team's logo, their real venue's name, and advertising, similar to National Football League (NFL) broadcast's 1st & Ten line.

[63] With the George Floyd protests ongoing, the NBA, the NBPA, and the teams worked together to use the bubble as a platform for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Additionally, players were allowed the option to replace the names on the backs of their jerseys with a meaningful statement of their choice in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Jonathan Isaac was the first player to stand during the national anthem and to elect not to wear a Black Lives Matter warm-up shirt, citing religious reasons for his decision.

[67] San Antonio Spurs coaches Gregg Popovich, an outspoken supporter of Black Lives Matter,[68] and Becky Hammon also chose to stand for their own reasons.

[72] In response to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic on August 26.

[75] The playoffs were resumed on August 29, after the NBA and NBPA agreed on three commitments for social justice reform efforts, including opening up arenas as voting centers in the upcoming election.

[81] With the NBA creating more rules and regulations to combat even greater spread of the virus during that time, players and coaches also supported looking into a similar setting to their 2020 Bubble into the second half of their season in 2021.