NBA coaches attire: Masks are in, jackets are optional

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For NBA coaches, masks are required this season. Jackets are not.

Rules for coaching attire will be relaxed by the league this year, though not as much as was the case during play at the bubble at Walt Disney World this past summer. Suit jackets or sport coats will not be required -- but coaches won’t be able to wear the short-sleeved shirts that most donned for games in the bubble, either.

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The new league mandate, as detailed in a memo sent to coaches Sunday and obtained by The Associated Press, requires “business attire ... dress shirts, pants, socks, and shoes.” There’s no mention of ties, which some coaches have often gone without in recent years.

The biggest change, though, is the masks, a decision made with safety in mind as the coronavirus pandemic rages on and NBA teams prepare to play in arenas again for the first time since last season was suspended on March 11 when Utah center Rudy Gobert tested positive.

The rules will be in effect for the preseason, which begins Friday. The regular season starts Dec. 22. The National Basketball Coaches Association discussed the changes in a call with the league Tuesday night.

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich wore masks for games in the bubble this past summer, as did former Houston coach Mike D’Antoni and former New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry. They are all 65 or older, and at more risk of contracting the virus based on guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Now, masks are a mandate for all coaches, regardless of age.

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.”

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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.