The Philadelphia 76ers have not been able to see each other in person since March 11 when they last played a basketball game against the Detroit Pistons. Since then, the league has been in hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic and the 2019-20 season has been stuck in limbo.
In an effort to stay in touch, the players have hopped on Zoom calls and participated in their own version of a happy hour. They discuss things like what is going on in their personal lives as well as the possibility of basketball returning. It is their own way to stay engaged in hopes that they can return to basketball sooner rather than later.
“They’re having happy hours so they stay engaged as their teammates,” said general manager Elton Brand on Tuesday. “For some reason, I’m not invited to those, but they’re getting together, they’re spending time with each other, and they truly miss just playing. They miss the locker room. They miss each other. They miss the fans. They miss everything that basketball afforded them. So that’s their bond, that they’re staying tight that way. We’re giving them resources just to, you know, as an outlet. When I speak to them it’s not all about basketball.”
The mental toll this time can take on a person is something that is very important to monitor. In an effort to try and keep the team in a healthy mental state, Brand will talk to them about things other than basketball to get their mind off things.
“It’s just about life, and how they’re doing, how they’re transitioning, how their families are doing, ways they’re staying healthy, books they can read, and articles, and sometimes comedies just to get them to laugh,” Brand added. “It’s a whole slew of things we’re trying to do because mental health is very important at this time.”
Does Brand know who started the happy hour Zoom calls?
“I don’t want to say just in case,” he laughed. “I didn’t get permission to give that information. But it’s one of the vets, for sure.”
An educated guess, but Al Horford seems like the type of guy to start a virtual happy hour to help out his younger teammates. [lawrence-related id=30521,30510,30501]