When the NBA season resumes at the end of this month in Orlando, a key element of the nighttime gaming experience for both players and fans will be missing: the walk through the entrance tunnel of the arena and the spotlight on the player’s fashion.
A new entry protocol finalized late last week requires players to “be in uniform and warm up when they get there”, sources told ESPN.
Players will dress in full uniform in their respective hotel rooms in the trio of designated resorts, then hop aboard a team bus for an expected fifteen minute drive from the expansive World of Sports Complex to Disney World and the playground main of HP Field House.
The photographers will wait for their steps outside each bus of the team, even if each player will be equipped on the same team with the heatings issued which will then take the place for typical stretches, layup lines and shots.
For many players across the league, such as Russell Westbrook, PJ Tucker, Kyle Kuzma, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, coverage of entry-level fashion in the arena has become a determining factor in their growing marketing profiles. Oubre Jr. and Gilgeous-Alexander have both signed unique shoe deals with Converse, with the brand celebrating their off-field style as much as their emerging game.
Westbrook has designed several capsule collections with fashion brands and is a mainstay of Paris fashion week. Kuzma got a Puma shoe contract that pays him more than his current Lakers salary every year.
Tucker likes to wear a different and coveted sneaker for each game, along with a complete outfit with flashy clothes, jewelry and accessories. The Rockets veteran still plans to flex his never ending sneaker game as he arrives in the team’s warm ups, and will likely be carrying his playing shoes.
“It’s crazy,” said Tucker laughing. “I think it takes away [from] originally what was about dressing. It wasn’t even about the tunnel walk, it was about getting dressed and going to work. For me it’s like a mentality, getting dressed and getting ready to go to my game. It makes me think I’m ready to work and helps me find my concentration. “
A key element that led to the change, ESPN sources said, is the fact that the on-site team’s changing rooms don’t have showers. In order to minimize the players who change at close range before and after the games at the venue, without taking a shower, the decision was made to get them ready to play in order to prioritize sanitation measures and social distancing. Players will leave the venue 40 minutes after each game to return to their hotel.
In the past two seasons, the visibility of the arrival in the arena has exploded. The teams designed high layouts and passages for the players. Some franchises have mediated partnerships with brands and marketing activations, given the utmost attention. At one point, the Rockets even had a DJ spinning music next to the player’s catwalk. Social media accounts dedicated to real-time nightly dress reporting have also increased in popularity.
“The NBA fashion aspect opened the doors to many casual fans. It was the hook for a brand new audience,” said Ian Pierno, creative producer and account manager of SLAM’s social media League Fits account. “It was something stupid to look at and something to discuss, even if you don’t understand how to calculate PER.”
With limited clothing flexibility, masks also make one of the few opportunities for self-expression en route to games. Some players have planned ahead, creating custom masks with social justice messages, personal brand logos or local area codes.
The championship has already provided all players and team staff with face coatings as part of their Orlando arrival package. A series of ten NBA x Stance masks co-designed with different prints, logo and graphic designs were waiting for the players in their hotel rooms. Upon arrival for matches, players will have the opportunity to wear the masks provided by the league, their facials issued by the team or a facemask of their choice.
At present, the growing trend of off-court pre-game coverage will be more limited in Orlando, one of several adjustments players are already preparing for the bubble.
“Dressing in a hotel will now look like an AAU tournament,” said Tucker. “They are AAU citizens, it’s the Nike Super Showcase and one of them [tournaments] in which we played in the past. I don’t feel it. I just don’t feel NBA for me, but that’s what it is. “
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