New Orleans Pelicans guard J.J. Redick played a round of golf Saturday at the Disney compound and planned another round on Sunday with the promise to shotgun a can of Bud Light if users reached 10,000 retweets.
“Didn’t expect that tweet to get 10,000 retweets,” Redick said, “but NBA Twitter never fails.”
Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin pleaded for this not to happen. But it happened alright, Redick shotgunning a beer from a portable ice bath.
Welcome to life inside the NBA bubble-like environment — an AAU-style basketball camp for millionaires. The best place to watch is on social media where players are giving behind-the-scenes access to what’s happening.
Sorry meant to post this earlier. Multitasking post practice. @budlight @NBABubbleLife pic.twitter.com/pBsau1SHoQ
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) July 12, 2020
“When I was growing up, you had AAU days, and once the AAU season is over you go back to your respective cities and then AAU season starts back up again that next spring and it’s like you never left,” Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said.
The Philadelphia 76ers, among other teams, went fishing on one of the Disney lakes. Star guard Ben Simmons caught a fish but didn’t know how to properly release it back into the water, dropping it on the pier as the fish flopped back into the water.
kemba gotta be the best golf hype man in the bubble 🗣⛳️🏌🏾♂️ @KembaWalker @jaytatum0 pic.twitter.com/DwGWiDN1vX
— NBA Bubble Life (@NBABubbleLife) July 13, 2020
Noted bassmaster and Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George and teammate Montrezl Harrell each landed big bass.
Los Angeles Lakers center JaVale McGee brought his bike. Milwaukee Bucks guard Kyle Korver, who confirmed to USA TODAY Sports he will wear “Black Lives Matter” on the back of his jersey, is among several players who brought golf clubs. Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse brought his guitar.
Some players posted video of taking a COVID-19 tests — with the nasopharyngeal swab collecting a sample from a nostril. And several players traveled with their gaming systems and set them up in their rooms.
“I’ve been playing video games with other guys on the team,” Lakers forward Anthony Davis said. “Everyone has brought their gaming system so we’re online playing against each other or being teammates.”
Houston’s P.J. Tucker brought an 85-inch TV. “It’s my home for the next three months,” Tucker said. “So, I have to make it as much as home as I could.”
The NBA is providing several activities, including visits to Disney attractions after hours.
“Getting outside and playing some golf was key,” Redick said. “Bubble life has been fine. I think (Memphis guard) Ja Morant said it best. The hotel is fine. The food is fine. Everything is fine. We’re here to play basketball, to further our mission. We have a responsibility and a job to do. It’s fine.”
THE BUBBLE: How NBA campus has taken shape in Orlando
The 22 teams participating in the NBA’s restart are out of quarantine and have practiced at least once in preparation for the eight-game restart on July 30.
Video emerging from practices reveal players without masks (which is allowed) and coaches wearing masks. Convention center and ballroom spaces at Disney have been turned into practice courts.
“The freedom of a gymnasium is priceless,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “You take off your mask and you have a basketball in your hands and you have a passport to what you remember and what brings you to a level of normalcy none of us had.”
Teams are slowly getting back into practice mode after four months off. The past four days in Orlando are among the first full-team practices since the season was suspended on March 11.
For teams expecting a deep run in the playoffs, such as the Lakers, Clippers, Raptors and Bucks, their approach may be different than a team trying to improve their seeding or get into the playoffs.
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra conducted his press conference on Sunday wearing a mask.
“It’s a little bit different than a normal road routine,” Spoelstra said. “But we do have our team room, which also serves as our meal room and our meeting room. So we tend to be in there quite a bit. There’s a nice walking path. There’s a restaurant on campus where you can eat indoor or outdoors. We’ll continue to explore. But that team room we’ve spent a lot of time in.”
The Heat placed players’ family photos in the team room to provide a sense of comfort.
“It touched me seeing my daughter on the wall, and I’m sure it touched other players as well,” forward Jae Crowder said.
On Saturday night, Heat players watched UFC fights and played dominoes — a Jimmy Butler favorite — in the team room.
“That’s our safe haven,” Crowder said. “We get together and talk it out.”
Yes, there have been some complaints about the food and hotel rooms. And while those have gotten attention, the complaints have been minimal.
Miami’s Meyers Leonard videoed himself walking in a hallway saying he reached out to the Disney concierge service for 12-ounce cans of Coors Light. Disney can provide that, and on Sunday, Meyers joined Redick in the Shotgun Club.
Philadelphia’s visual arts expert Matisse Thybulle already produced a nine-minute video titled “Welcome To The Bubble — Day 1.” YouTube personality Casey Neistat, who has 12 million subscribers, watched it and replied to Thybulle on Twitter, “MATISSE, LETS COLLABORATE.”
Thybulle responded: “Aside from being able to play basketball again, you just made this whole bubble thing worth it. Let’s figure something out when I’m free.”
And Sixers forward Tobias Harris, who is good friends with Dallas’ Boban Marjanovic, couldn’t help notice Marjanovic hanging with someone else.
On Instagram, Harris posted a video of Marjanovic walking on a pier and said, “Look at this man, hanging out with Luka (Donic). Shhh.”
It’s early and it might not always be easy, but the players are finding a way to make this work.
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.