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Nick DePaulaESPN
As NBA players arrive at games during the resumed game in Orlando, they will be free to wear clothing from their own closets as they walk from the team bus to the locker room there, according to a league spokesperson.
Initially, ESPN received erroneous information from a league spokesperson that a “specific” dress protocol had been finalized last week, requiring players to fully dress for games in their hotel rooms and “wear uniforms and warm-ups when they get “to the game site.
Given the “unique environment” and “warmer weather conditions,” players can wear a variety of “relaxed” items from their own closets upon arrival that have a “clean and tidy appearance,” including presentable shorts, according to a spokesperson. of the league. However, players who are not uniformed in games must wear pants while sitting on the bench.
The league has also “removed the requirement” that players sitting on the bench wear a sports coat. Players can also dress in full uniform and warm-up for the team bus ride and arrival, if they choose, in their respective hotel rooms at the trio of designated resorts at Walt Disney World.
Each team will board a socially distanced team bus with separate lines for a 15-minute car ride to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and the HP Field House main game court. The photographers will be waiting for the players to disembark from each team bus to take photos on social networks.
The featured nighttime “tunnel walk” is often expected to be good news for both gamers and fans alike, who were disappointed by the possible lack of an arrival fashion scene. Several players were unsure about the game’s arrival process when they packed up last week for an extended stay in Orlando, and some brought in a deep rotation of clothing, sneakers, and accessories, just in case.
PJ Tucker told ESPN that he initially packed “north of 60 pairs” for Orlando, before adding yet another duffel bag before the Houston team’s plane left for the bubble.
While players may arrive in their own clothing, the on-site team locker rooms are not equipped with showers. There is an expectation that, after games, players will now prefer to change their sweaty uniforms to “appropriate team-identified clothing” to return to the bus, while carrying their pre-game outfits in a duffel bag.
Players will have to bathe in their hotel rooms, and the schedule scheme requires team buses to leave the venue 40 minutes after each game.
While it’s a slightly more complicated process than usual, gamers have long appreciated the freedom to express themselves through their pre-game, sometimes eccentric, unique and daring fashion choices. Russell Westbrook, PJ Tucker, Kyle Kuzma, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are among many players who use arena entry fashion coverage to grow their marketing profiles.
As it stands, the increasing trend of off-field coverage before the game is here to stay. “No matter what, I’ll be ready,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “Tunnel, no tunnel, I will do my thing.
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