The life of an NBA star can be quite hectic. For almost 200+ days in a year, NBA players travel across the country in order to ply the craft. Whether it be playing at home or going to a different city to play their opponents, professional basketball stars in the NBA have to find time for themselves to practice, keep themselves sharp and in shape, and get rest in these small windows.
For the work that they do and the amount they sacrifice, players are compensated handsomely with their salaries and endorsement deals. But that doesn’t mean that their work is any easier. Rest and sleep are valuable commodities for athletes. So whenever they get a little bit of time to rest, they seize the opportunity.
But there are always some teammates who play a joke on these players, taking funny pictures of them sleeping. ESPN shared some of these pictures on their Instagram account with NBA players caught sleeping mostly on flights. These players include several NBA superstars, past and present.
Stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Paul George, and Kevin Love. These pictures come from various time periods, but most of them seem to be from when these players got together to represent Team USA at the Olympics or at the FIBA World Championship tournament.
Most of these pictures were taken in jest, as the surrounding athletes around them were posing with funny gestures and poses. During these trips for international basketball, players get to bond and have fun with each other because they’re on the same team. Whereas, during the NBA regular season, these players are usually on different teams. Regardless, these pictures give us a glimpse into the hectic lifestyle of NBA stars but also show us how these players manage to have fun with each other. These players on Team USA have been able to sleep peacefully because Team USA has won Gold at the last four consecutive Olympics. But Team USA’s biggest shock loss came in the 2004 Olympics to eventual Gold Medal winners Argentina.
