NBA Players are fixated on their phones. They need them before the game to relax and unwind, and after the games to check on their social media likes and follows. They really are inseparable. Twitter is also their main thing, checking it as often as possible. The problem is they can’t play with their phones.
This piece comes from the Washington Post:
The NBA social media boom began in 2009 in Milwaukee’s locker room when then-Bucks player Charlie Villanueva sent a tweet during halftime of a game against the Boston Celtics. The message was harmless, if superfluous: Villanueva shared with his followers that he needed to step up in the second half. His coach at the time, Scott Skiles, chastised Villanueva afterward for creating the perception that he was not focused. Before the start of the following season, the league introduced a rule banning cellphone usage during games.
In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We're playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up.
— Charlie Villanueva (@CVBelieve) March 15, 2009
Players now operate within these rules while otherwise tweeting and sharing with abandon. Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant was caught using a secret account to defend his honor against haters. After being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, Nikola Mirotic seemingly trolled his former Chicago Bulls teammates by posting a shrug emoji moments after they gave up a late lead and lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. Those Sixers, by the way, feature the NBA’s king of Twitter.
Coach Luke Walton has not banned phones from the Los Angeles Lakers’ breakfast meetings or film-room sessions, but if a player’s device rings, he can expect to pay a small fine.
This is just part of growing up. No harm no foul. Of course there’s such a thing as cell phone addiction, which could lead to some real world problems. How long before we see people going to rehab for cell phone addiction? I don’t think it’s only NBA guys, it’s the entire planet.
