After many negotiations, the NBA (National Basket Association) finally resumes Tuesday, December 22, more than two months after the usual date. The last season of the North American basketball championship did not end until October, in a health bubble in Florida, crisis due to the coronavirus requires.
For the recovery, the bubble has disappeared but, between the daily tests and the matches in almost empty rooms, the context remains particular, observes Evan Fournier. On the eve of his ninth NBA season – the seventh with the Orlando (Florida) Magic franchise – the 28-year-old player, who is a veteran of the French American basketball league, looks forward to to be able to tread the floors again.
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How does it feel to start a season so late in the year?
I find it hard to realize that it is December and that Christmas is in a few days. But even if it’s a special resumption date, I’m glad there is a season, because the real fear was to resume in February or even March and, suddenly, play all summer and miss the Games Olympic. It’s a somewhat shortened season, with 72 games instead of 82, but it’s still a real season with games played away, in real venues and with an authentic playoff format.
Did you ever fear having to play in a bubble again?
Not really, because playing a whole season in a bubble is not feasible and I don’t think it was really relevant. The NBA has managed to put a fairly important monitoring and testing protocol, that reassures everyone.
How does this health protocol work?
A test every day! I’d rather do a daily test and be able to play a normal season than start again in a bubble or things like that. The test is done in our room, where a laboratory is set up. We have the results on the spot, we just have to stay forty minutes, alone in our car while waiting. At least after, we know that everyone present is negative.
How do you occupy yourself in the car while waiting for the result?
Me, I read to pass the time, The Laws of Human Nature [Les lois de la nature humaine] by Robert Green [Viking, 2018]. Suddenly, I read more than before!
You tweeted a photo of the locker room showing a glass separating each player. Is it really that surreal?
Claustrophobic alert https://t.co/G1OtLFuv4f
Everything is compartmentalized, yes. They [les dirigeants de la NBA] are so afraid of falling back into a complicated season that they are taking all possible measures. There, clearly, it does not really make sense since five minutes later, we are all on the ground to stick! But I would rather do too much than not enough, someone just needs to catch the virus and it can go away really quickly. The coaches have masks on them all the time, and they talk to us from a distance. In fact, everyone should have a mask except the players when they are on the pitch.
Do you feel safe in your daily life, with your family, knowing that the virus is very present in the United States?
In a team, there are fifteen players and the technical staff. It would not be reasonable to ask everyone to stay locked in their homes for the entire season. You have to keep some social activity, like shopping, going to a restaurant, while remaining vigilant.
Your tweet about doubts about the vaccine generated a lot of reaction. Did that surprise you?
Is this for real? Lol https://t.co/tZIAoeCZLl
In fact, I find it hard to understand that people do not understand that one can think differently from them. I am not an anti-vaccine or a provaccin. It’s just that I find it normal to ask questions. Those who want to go head first into an unknown situation, so much the better! But I have the right to ask myself questions. If one of the best scientists in the world tells us we need to get the vaccine, then he’s a heavy person. If he’s a basketball player or a Formula 1 driver, that’s just personal opinion.
The scientific community hasn’t convinced you yet?
It’s very hard to understand because there are a lot of “yes”, “no”, “we don’t know”. There are people working on vaccines who say it’s too early. So how do we do, we people who know absolutely nothing about it? Vaccination is very personal. It’s too important to force us to get vaccinated.
You will replay in closed or almost empty rooms. Is it disturbing?
What I felt in the bubble was really this feeling of emptiness. There, we will still be in our room. The stands are quite far from the field so we don’t have that feeling of playing in an empty enclosure. It’s much easier to play in these conditions than in the bubble, where the very small room and the walls very close to the field make you realize that there really is no one there. But it’s true that we miss the fans. Their energy is part of the game.
You have decided to activate your last year of contract with Orlando. Why not have tried to find another club?
There was still a lot of uncertainty in the market because of the Covid. Many players have chosen this strategy of starting over with a one-year contract, even free players, because we know that things should get back to normal next summer, and that there will be openings.
What is your assessment of last season, and what goals do you set for yourself?
At 28 years old, I will go back to my best years. As an individual, the last season was my best, so it was satisfying. However, I experienced a physical galley, I had a big problem with the liver, very strong aches. In fact, I caught a virus in the bubble – rhabdomyolysis – and I didn’t recover well. I was in complete isolation for a week. Everyone believed I had the Covid but all of my tests were negative. It was a bit of a panic! I was a zombie, actually. Normally it goes away with rest, but the situation was so special that I wanted to play.
What is the purpose of the Magic?
You have to be realistic, you can’t aim to be champion. Of course, I want to go as far as possible and I’m going to give my all, but I know we won’t make it to the NBA Finals. It’s been two years since we finished around the 7e and 8e conference places and that we are eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The objective is to position ourselves better, to give us a better chance in the playoffs.
Did you work on anything in particular?
I worked on my creation of the shot after dribble, especially after pick and roll. I’ve been really focusing on it for two years, hoping it pays off. I put myself in a position that I will find in a match with the same intensity. It is a work of repetition, so that the gesture comes naturally and becomes an instinct.
From a political point of view, how did you follow the American presidential election?
I was in France when the votes were closed, but by the time I got back to the United States, I learned that Biden was elected! I did not follow his policy but I think it is positive not to have Trump any longer at the head of a country like the United States.
Did you sense a particular context, weighed down, under the Trump presidency?
The first few years were quieter but I saw a difference just before the presidential election, with the episode of the murder of George Floyd. There, it started to be heavy.
Where are the demands for social and racial justice within the NBA, after the great protest movement of last season?
In fact, it is managed by teams now. We at The Magic interact with district attorneys and people in high places to understand how things work and how we can make a difference individually. The pressure continues from the players. I think momentum was created a few months ago and it is continuing.
The Olympics with the Blues, scheduled for next summer in Tokyo, are they already present in your mind?
When you’re athletic, it’s a bit like the Holy Grail [Evan Fournier n’a pas été sélectionné en équipe de France à Rio, en 2016]. Clearly, I don’t want to miss them, especially with the team we have. We finished 3e of the last world championships, and we were disappointed, so there really is something to do. I’m not just going for the opening ceremony!
