Featured Testimonial About Creighton University
One of the values that Creighton instilled in me is that we’re supposed to be leaders in culture. We’re supposed to be people at the front, standing for and with others. That’s what the Jesuits show us to do. That’s the Jesuit way
Last week, the NBA returned to the court for the first time in more than four months — resuming its historically peculiar season in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World.
The league and 22 teams have effectively quarantined themselves in “the bubble,” an isolation zone with strict safety protocols and daily COVID-19 testing. The games are played without fans. Family members and guests won’t be able to enter the bubble until after the first round of playoffs.
“I feel like I’m probably in the safest place in America right now,” says Creighton alumnus Kyle Korver, BA’03.
Korver and his team, the Milwaukee Bucks, entered the bubble a few weeks back. It’s been … well, it’s been weird. No fans. No families. Not a lot to do with your downtime but play video games and golf. Still, says Korver, it’s great to be playing basketball again.
We caught up with Korver to talk about life in the bubble.
What’s it like in there?
For the first three weeks, I was just here working out every day. That was all I had to do. As someone who has a wife and kids at home, being away and just working out, it didn’t seem like it was worth it.
But it’s good to be playing games again. It’s good to be on a team that feels like we have a chance at a championship. We’re excited for the rest of the time we’re here.
It’s strange with no fans, with all the protocols that are in place. But it’s still basketball. It’s still two teams competing. The hoops are still 10 feet tall. The 3-point line is still there. Those things are the same, but everything else feels quite a bit different right now.
Beyond the games, what’s day-to-day life like in an isolation zone?
I feel like I’m probably in the safest place in America right now. The protocols are all in place. People are obeying them. We wear masks all the time. We have check-in every time we enter a new room, with a bracelet we wear so they can trace us in case someone does get COVID-19. We eat in our own rooms so we’re not mingling with a ton of other people.
Going back to my family … as a dad and a husband, when it comes to health and safety, we care about our family first. My wife is taking care of our family on her own right now. And to think that I’m in this safe place and they’re out in the world, that doesn’t feel right. There’s a good bit of guilt that comes with that. I spend the first couple hours of my day working through my guilt that I’m here and they’re not.
Otherwise, I feel like I’m 24 again. All I have to do every day is be at practice on time and work hard. That’s kind of it. It’s a strange life.
Does it have a kind of a summer camp vibe?
Kind of. There’s not as many activities as a summer camp would have. There’s a pool and a couple golf courses. Otherwise, there’s some Cornhole out in the yard. A lot of guys are playing video games or reading or playing cards. But we’re here to play basketball.
What’s been the strangest thing to happen so far in the bubble?
The strangest thing is probably playing the games with no fans. The interaction of the fans and feeling the energy of the crowd, it’s such a big part of sport. It’s what makes the game fun. It creates the energy. It changes the temperature of the room, even. When you walk into a big arena now, it’s cooler in there; it’s colder. There’s not the body temperature effect.
All these little things — hearing a crowd cheer for you or wanting to silence an opposing crowd, that’s huge in sports. Not having that and creating your own energy for 48 minutes has probably been the strangest thing.
How has your Creighton education helped you deal with the events of the last five or so months?
I’m so grateful that I went to Creighton for so many reasons. I got a great education, and I have great relationships and great memories from being there.
One of the values that Creighton instilled in me is that we’re supposed to be leaders in culture. We’re supposed to be people at the front, standing for and with others. That’s what the Jesuits show us to do. That’s the Jesuit way — to find the broken, to find the marginalized voices. And you stand with them, and you support them. That’s what we’re called to do in life.
COVID has exposed so many cracks in the foundation of our country, on lots of levels. I think Creighton in many ways has given me better eyes to see the ways you can step into the gaps, the ways you can love your neighbor, the ways you can honor the struggle other people are walking through. You honor their struggle and you walk with them the best you can.
I will forever be grateful to Creighton for helping instill that in me.
