Stephen A. Smith Has A Bold Suggestion For NBA Restart


Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM


Stephen A. Smith wants the NBA to ditch Orlando in favor of somewhere else.

Stephen A. Smith is one of the biggest voices in sports media, especially when it comes to matters pertaining to the NBA. While the NBA hasn’t had a game in over three months, Smith has found plenty of topics to cover on his daily show, First Take on ESPN. However, with the league returning to action next month, Smith and company have been able to ramp up their coverage. Today, Smith came through with a truly interesting take that will probably split NBA fans into two sides.

With Coronavirus cases spiking in Florida, Smith wants the league to abandon the Orlando bubble city idea. Instead, he wants the games to be played in the Mecca of basketball, New York City. Smith makes the argument that the city is extremely large, and would allow for the players to be more spread out, which could help with containment.

While New York would be an interesting spot, it’s important to note that New York is a dense city and when the virus first broke out, New York was one of the hardest-hit places. If the NBA were to go to New York, they could find themselves in the midst of the second wave of the outbreak.

It remains to be seen whether or not the league actually decides to move the location of the remainder of the season, although one thing is clear: the league wants to make safety a priority.


Stephen A. Smith wants the NBA to ditch Orlando in favor of somewhere else.

Stephen A. Smith is one of the biggest voices in sports media, especially when it comes to matters pertaining to the NBA. While the NBA hasn’t had a game in over three months, Smith has found plenty of topics to cover on his daily show, First Take on ESPN. However, with the league returning to action next month, Smith and company have been able to ramp up their coverage. Today, Smith came through with a truly interesting take that will probably split NBA fans into two sides.

With Coronavirus cases spiking in Florida, Smith wants the league to abandon the Orlando bubble city idea. Instead, he wants the games to be played in the Mecca of basketball, New York City. Smith makes the argument that the city is extremely large, and would allow for the players to be more spread out, which could help with containment.

While New York would be an interesting spot, it’s important to note that New York is a dense city and when the virus first broke out, New York was one of the hardest-hit places. If the NBA were to go to New York, they could find themselves in the midst of the second wave of the outbreak.

It remains to be seen whether or not the league actually decides to move the location of the remainder of the season, although one thing is clear: the league wants to make safety a priority.