COVID-19 is not yet done wreaking havoc on this world. As challenges arise, and new strains spread across the globe, normalcy has not yet returned to our society
For the NBA, specifically, the worst is seemingly in the past now, and the upcoming season remains unthreatened so far.
Still, as COVID remains a blip on everyone’s radar, players frequently reflect on what life was like for them at the height of the crisis — back in the bubble, when many were forced to isolate themselves in Orlando, hours away from their friends and family.
In a recent appearance on the ‘No Chill’ podcast, former Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma pointed out one particular challenge about the NBA bubble in 2020, highlighting the lack of variety in his diet.
“It was hard just being there. Being in the bubble, that’s not our lifestyle. We like to be extremely comfortable when we’re not on the court. We wanna be home, chillin’ in your house, in a nice sofa, watching a movie. You don’t want to be in Mickey Mouse’s house, in 300 square feet for three months.
We like to call it prison for athletes. That’s what it was. We couldn’t leave, nothing. It’s kind of like the movie ‘Get Out’ or something. You just do the same thing every single day. That was like walking the same hall every day, passing by Jimmy Butler every day, passing by somebody else.
Eating at the restaurant, there’s only three things on the menu every day. I had a damn chicken sandwich for two weeks straight.
Yeah, that was tough.”
(start at 25:40)
It’s easy to scoff at some of these players complaining about their experience in the bubble. Compared to 99% of the population, they had it pretty good.
But that doesn’t mean they didn’t face challenges. For someone who is used to living a certain way, being confined to a suite, in a city that is not your own, can be a brutal experience. For Kuzma, part of that experience included eating a chicken sandwich for dinner two weeks straight.
In short, the pandemic has had an impact on everyone, including NBA players.
Kudos to Kuzma for sharing his perspective on things, and explaining why so many of his peers had a tough time living in the bubble.
