The biggest headlines from Disney World and the NBA bubble have been about the quarantine meals players are receiving, mostly because they look like food you’d get on an airplane.
There’s good news for them after they get through this, however, and we’ll get to that.
But let’s start with more criticism about the food upon arrival. We’ll begin with Joel Embiid, who was criticized by Kendrick Perkins for his concerns about health and safety in Orlando and later flew to Florida in a full body suit.
He had some jokes about how he was going to lose weight during the restart:
Joel Embiid’s posts about the 48-hour quarantine food. 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/vPQfBiMv9y
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 10, 2020
We head next over to JR Smith, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers and reunited with LeBron James (WARNING: NSFW LANGUAGE AHEAD!):
JR Smith reading the food menu for the NBA campus 😂 NSFW
(via @TheRealJRSmith) pic.twitter.com/AvjGAA65YM
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 10, 2020
Jr Smith is a national treasure. Imagine watching him pull this out on his insta live. Dude wasn’t having it😭😭😂😂 pic.twitter.com/QukFVFfUbn
— Landon Blake (@BandonLake23) July 10, 2020
Some thoughts from Rockets guard Ben McLemore:
Ben McLemore doesn’t fw the Orlando food either 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/hlWY6iWwlF
— Rob (40-24) Rockets (@Hou5ton4L) July 10, 2020
Not everyone’s a critic! Here’s McLemore’s teammate DeMarre Carroll, who called it “solid cooking.”
DeMarre Carroll backs up the NBA’s 48-hour quarantine meals in Orlando. pic.twitter.com/mf7uis6w4n
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 10, 2020
This is also a good time to remind you that this won’t be the food for the next few months there. From USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt:
Executive chef Shawn Loving, who has worked with USA Basketball at the Olympics and other international competitions, will oversee a commercial kitchen where each team can provide one culinary staffer to help prepare additional meals.
Also, the league has partnered with six restaurants – Del Frisco’s, Joe’s Crab Shack, Morton’s, The Oceanaire, Palm and Saltgrass – to provide delivery service to team hotels. Those restaurants are part Landry’s, Inc., a restaurant, entertainment and gaming company owned by Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.
In addition, each team will have a culinary team on campus to provide meals, a personal chef can prepare meals off-campus and have them delivered to players, room service is available and multiple restaurants at each of the three resorts where teams are staying will have restaurants open.
You can expect some social media posts coming where players share the good stuff that’s ahead.
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