Disney CEO Interested in Having NBA and MLS Play Seasons at Disney Sports Campus

After Utah Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell tested positive for COVID-19 on March 11th, the NBA and other sports leagues effectively shut down without any clear path to restart. The coronavirus pandemic became a serious threat to normalcy in the United States, shortly after spreading throughout Asia and Europe and disrupting life in many countries across the globe. But as many states and nations attempt to reopen in lieu of the spread of the disease, sports leagues like the NBA, MLS, and NHL are starting to lay out a plan to resume their disrupted seasons, and Walt Disney World in Orlando could play a key role.

After news broke of negotiations with professional sports leagues to possibly remain on the Disney World campus and finish the 2019-2020 seasons, Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke on CNBC's Squawk Valley when he said he'd be "glad" to host the NBA and MLS.

The last few weeks have been rife with rumors flying around over a potential deal between various leagues and Disney, with some NBA players expressing excitement over the possibility. While it's not clear if the full season would resume or be truncated, or if the NBA would make major alterations to the playoff format in order to limit the amount of teams required to be on campus.

Meanwhile, the MLS has been discussing formats that would work for their post-season, including a group stage similar to the early rounds of the World Cup, followed by a knockout stage that would see teams be eliminated.

The NBA has the potential of billions of dollars in revenue at stake for resuming the season; the league officially acknowledged the negotiations to play on the Disney World campus last week:

"The NBA, in conjunction with the National Basketball Players Association, is engaged in exploratory conversations with The Walt Disney Company about restarting the 2019-20 NBA season in late July at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida as a single site for an NBA campus for games, practices and housing," the NBA's statement reads. "Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place."

This follows news of Disney World's attempt to reopen facilities in July, and would be the latest step as multiple major media companies and sports attempt to return to normalcy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for more updates.

Cover photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images