Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said he hopes the move
by coaches will further normalize mask-wearing
among the public; the Heat were part of a campaign
across Florida last summer, as virus numbers were
soaring, to get people to wear masks.
“That’s why I continued to wear masks during the
playoffs, during the finals, even when we were not
required to wear them during our media sessions,”
Spoelstra told The Associated Press. “One, it became
a habit. And then two, we want to continue to use
our platform to make people aware that masks can
and do make a difference. And if they see us wearing
them all the time and not having a problem with it
and understanding the importance of it, hopefully
that can normalize it everywhere else.”
It’s not just a game-night rule. The league, with
limited exceptions, also will require coaches to
wear masks “at all times” inside their team facility,
while traveling and during practices.
“Although I look very good in a suit and tie, I will
admit, I’m also very, very comfortable wearing a
Nuggets polo and a pair of TravisMathew athletic
leisure wear pants,” Denver coach Michael Malone
said last season during play in the bubble. “I think
I’ve done a very good job with the look.”
Alas, the athletic pants — “athleisure” is the term
the NBA uses — must be shelved for game nights
this season.
The decision on coaches wearing masks comes
not long after the league and the National
Basketball Players Association decided on health
and safety protocols for the coming season,
including how teams that do not comply with
league rules designed to minimize the spread of
the coronavirus could face major penalties such as
forfeiting games or draft picks.