‘I cried like a little baby’: Kings parting with wives, children to enter NBA bubble
While eager to resume an NBA season that was nearly lost due to the coronavirus pandemic, players are now facing the reality of living life in a bubble.
From the time they arrive next week to the time their teams are eliminated, players will be sequestered at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, not far from Orlando. Teams that fail to reach the playoffs will be there a minimum of 35 days. Teams that reach the NBA Finals will enjoy up to 97 socially-distanced days and nights at The Most Magical Place on Earth.
Kings guard Kent Bazemore said he will use FaceTime to stay connected with his wife and their 14-month-old son, but saying goodbye was emotional and difficult when it was time to report to Sacramento to resume training.
“It’s tough,” Bazemore said. “It’s tough on being a husband and a father. I cried like a little baby when I left to head out here a couple weeks ago — just seeing him and my wife standing on the front porch as I’m leaving, and he has absolutely no idea I’m gone as long as I’m going to be gone.
“It’s definitely tough, especially him being such a young age. It’s pivotal as a child to kind of have that stable foundation, and my wife is also pregnant with a little girl coming in September, so the realistic front is very tough.”
Corey Brewer, a 34-year-old journeyman who recently re-signed with the Kings after spending the end of the 2018-19 season in Sacramento, had a similar experience when he parted with his two young sons. Brewer was not on an NBA roster before the COVID-19 shutdown. This NBA odyssey has given him another opportunity in the league, but Brewer said he will miss his boys.
“That’s probably the hardest part for me,” Brewer said. “I have small kids. One’s 6 and one’s 3 months, so it was tough to leave them, but they understand I’m getting older. Any chance I get to play basketball, I have to take it. They’re happy. My son’s happy I get to play again, and we FaceTime every day for like five hours, so we still see each other.”
Brewer agreed to join the Kings on this Disney adventure without knowing what his role will be.
“I’m always open for anything,” he said. “For me just to have a chance to play basketball, I love basketball. … Whatever they want me to go out there and do, I’m going to do it. If they want me to get them water, if they want me to play, whatever, let’s go.”
Bazemore, 31, who indicated Friday he would like to re-sign with the Kings when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season, also has to think about his future. Bazemore said he decided to participate in the restart after some of his closest confidants reminded him that, in this line of work, providing for families sometimes means being away from them.
“In your 20s and 30s, you make a lot of sacrifices … but I’m in a position to really set up my legacy and really help those behind me,” Bazemore said. “So It’s a tough decision and it’s something my wife and I are diligently working on, trying to stay connected, you know, phone calls, videos, FaceTime, doing everything we can to stay connected.”
The NBA will allow only 1,600 people inside the bubble at any given time. Family members won’t be admitted until after the first round of the playoffs.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association agreed players who choose not to participate will not face discipline from the league, but they will forfeit a prorated portion of their salary. A number of players have opted out for a variety of reasons, including family matters and health concerns.
The list includes Avery Bradley (Los Angeles Lakers), whose son reportedly has a history of struggling with respiratory illnesses; Trevor Ariza (Portland Trail Blazers), who is committing to a one-month visitation period with his son as part of a custody case; Davis Bertans (Washington Wizards), who wants to avoid injury as he is set to become a highly coveted free agent in October; DeAndre Jordan (Brooklyn Nets), who tested positive for COVID-19; Wilson Chandler (Brooklyn Nets), who told ESPN “the health and well-being of my family has to come first;” and Willie Cauley-Stein (Dallas Mavericks), who is expecting a baby in July.
Players are people, too. They have lives. They have families. They have concerns.
Players were given a June 24 deadline to make their decisions. Final rosters and travel parties were supposed to be submitted earlier this week. Kings coach Luke Walton said none of his players have opted out.
“I’m very open with our players and I’ve made it very clear that no judgment, no pressure, totally understandable if players or staff choose to opt out of going,” Walton said. “We’re totally in support of those decisions and not a single player has come to me with that concern, so from the best of my understanding our guys are comfortable with going. They’re excited to go.”
The Kings can end a 13-year playoff drought if they can overtake the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. They are eager for the opportunity in front of them, even if they’re still not sure what to expect when they get there.
What will they do to pass the time in isolation when they aren’t playing basketball?
Marvin Bagley III said he plans to take recording equipment to make music. De’Aaron Fox said he plans to stay in his room, probably playing videogames. Bazemore, who considers himself one of the NBA’s best golfers, pointed out the NBA campus will have multiple golf courses.
Still, no matter what amenities are made available to them, they know the next several weeks will be a test of their mental toughness with none of the comforts of home.
“It’s ultimately going to come down to survival of the fittest,” Bazemore said. “… It’s not about who’s the best basketball player this time of the year. It’s just about who’s going to go the hardest and last the longest. It’s about outlasting guys. There’s a lot that guys are sacrificing to make this happen on both sides, coaches and players, so, yeah, we’re all going to miss our families, but at the end of the day we’re all down there to work.”
This story was originally published July 4, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
