Disney Begins De-Theming the NBA Experience Building at Disney Springs
Looking back with the wisdom of time, the NBA Experience at Disney Springs was clearly one of the strangest chapters in Walt Disney World history.
For those who don’t remember, the NBA Experience originally opened on January 30, 2017, in the former location of DisneyQuest.
Photo: Disney
The experience was advertised as the ultimate destination for NBA fans, a place that combined the magic of Disney with the celebrity and sport of the National Basketball Association
While both Disney and the NBA had high hopes for the locale, the NBA Experience was quickly plagued by low attendance.
Image Credit: Disney
The NBA Experience Was A Disaster
Just seven months after the new experience opened, the attraction closed due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. When Disney Springs reopened on June 11, 2020, however, the NBA Experience did not.
Subsequently, on August 16, 2021, Disney announced that the attraction remains permanently closed. In total, it had operated for just over 200 days.
While the former NBA Experience has remained largely unused since its closure, earlier this year, Disney filed a permit for general construction on the building.
Construction on the Building Has Commenced
While Disney has still not announced any plans for the site, the company has begun deeming the NBA Experience building.
Overnight, crews removed the decorative steel squares that lined the building’s roof. These had shown basketball players in different poses.
As you can see only certain certain sections have been removed.
It looks like construction crews started on the building’s east side and are working their way around.
Here is another look at the side with the steel structures removed.
And the side that still has them.
While the current construction project seems largely aesthetic, it is good to see something happening over at the former NBA Experience building!
