Top Moments From NBA Bubble Vlogs
Basketball is back in full swing in Disney’s Orlando resort. Thankfully, the players have been on top of reporting the ins and outs of daily life in the bubble via vlogs. This awesome content needs to be discussed.
Bubble and vlog are almost synonyms at this point. Yes, NBA players are known for their affinity for social media and sharing their personal lives with the public, but the vlogs take this to a whole new level, giving millions of fans a fascinating perspective on this unique time in history.
Have you ever had the chance to eat breakfast and dinner with Laker’s forward JaVale McGee (shoutout to the cauliflower steak!)? Or gone fishing with Denver Nuggets guard Troy Daniels? Hung out around the Disney resort palm trees with Russel Westbrook and Philadelphia 76ers rookie Mattise Thybulle? These players are showcasing how they are themselves — what they look like when they wake up in the morning (thanks, JaVale) and who they spend time with.
The day to day
The players get tested for Covid with swabs in their mouths and up their noses, and the vlogs give us up close views of that, kind of gross… The players have to remember to wear a mask at all times, Mattise even comes up with a way to never forget his badge and mask — a trick he should teach JaVale because he leaves without his mask a bunch of times and if forced to go back to his room. The players also need to take their temperature and oxygen readings daily and input the into an app. They go fishing, play a lot of cornhole and speak to their families via facetime. They also play a lot of basketball, obviously.
Lots of eating also happens. I learned from Mattise Thybulle’s vlog that different teams have different food spreads from a hilarious moment where the rookie watches as one of his teammates comes into their dining area with a plate heaping with food from a yummy buffet — needless to say Theybulle was jealous.
Meaning in the Bubble
The vlogs have also provided insight into more important things that happen during life in the bubble. In his 6th episode, Thybulle brought his viewers into a 76ers meeting where they had a candid conversation about kneeling during the national anthem. It was moving to see those men understand the power and responsibility they have to make a change as well as their insistence on open communication with all members of the organization.
Another meaningful moment came from JaVale McGee speaking with his cousin Lexi, who is battling cancer for a second time. McGee is candid about how he understands the importance of speaking with his cousin often and getting inspired by her strength. In a beautiful moment, Lexi tells her cousin that he inspires her as well. You can buy a shirt to support Lexi on this website.
Tougher parts
Though the vlogs are impressively edited, (Mattise does it himself!) its sometimes a little dizzying to watch these videos because the camera work is shaky. Part of the experience of watching these is that it shows you everyday life, but also, everyday life is not always so interesting. Following that logic, sometimes the videos get a bit boring. Overall, though, I love the content. I would also be interested in knowing if the vloggers needed to get permission to film from teammates and coaches. I would guess that they all had those conversations.
When I heard that the NBA was creating a bubble in Disney world I thought the players would be living in luxury for the two or three months left in the season. Watching the various player vlogs has confirmed that assumption and has also reminded me that the world is just crazy right now so I better remember to have fun in the right moments.
Image credit: Bess Goldstein