MIAMI – NBA coaches will have to continue to wear masks (face masks) this season, not jackets.
The League will relax the rules for coaches’ dress this year, although not as much as was the case during bubble games in Walt Disney World last summer. Suit jackets or sports coats will not be required, but coaches will also not be able to wear the short-sleeved shirts most used for games in the bubble.
The league’s new mandate, as detailed in a memo sent to coaches Sunday and obtained by ESPN, requires “business attire … dress shirts, pants, socks and shoes.” Ties are not mentioned, which some coaches have often not had in recent years.
However, the biggest change is the masks, a decision made with safety in mind as the coronavirus pandemic continues and NBA teams prepare to play in the arenas again for the first time since last season was suspended on the 11th. March when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive.
The rules will be in effect for the preseason, which begins on Friday. The regular season begins on December 22. The National Association of Basketball Coaches discussed the changes in a call with the league on Tuesday night.
The San Antonio Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich, wore masks to games in the bubble last summer, as did the former Houston Rockets coach, Mike D’Antoni and former New Orleans Pelicans coach, Alvin Gentry. Everyone is 65 or older and at a higher risk of contracting the virus according to guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Now, masks are a mandate for all coaches, regardless of age.
The Miami Heat coach, Erik Spoelstra, said that he hopes that the measure of the coaches will further normalize the use of masks among the public; the Heat were part of a campaign in Florida last summer, as the number of viruses mounted, to get people to wear masks.
“That’s why I kept wearing masks during the playoffs, during the finals, even when we weren’t required to wear them during our press sessions,” Spoelstra told the AP. “First, it became a habit. And then we want to continue using our platform so that people are aware that masks can make a difference. And if they see that we use them all the time and we have no problem with them and understand the importance of it, hopefully I can normalize it elsewhere. “
It’s not just a game night rule. The League, with limited exceptions, will also require coaches to wear masks “at all times” within their team facilities, while traveling and during practices.
“Although I look great in a suit and tie, I admit it, I also feel very, very comfortable wearing a Nuggets polo shirt and a pair of TravisMathew sweatpants,” the Denver Nuggets coach said, Michael Malone, last season during the game in the bubble. “I think I did a very good job with the look.”
Unfortunately, sweat pants (“athleisure” is the term used by the NBA) should be put aside for game nights this season.
AP contributed to this report.
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