At NBA restart, equipment a challenge to manage inside the bubble at Disney
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Rob Pimental spent a good amount of time thinking about everything the Miami Heat would need for what could be a threemonth trip to Walt Disney World.
He is the Heat equipment manager. Every jersey, sock, sneaker, whatever the team needs, it’s his responsibility to have it ready. So, when it came time to figure out what was getting packed for Disney, Pimental came to a realization.
“Pretty much everything,” said Pimental, who confessed to having a few sleepless nights of worrying. “I’m the type of guy who wants everything on hand, so I literally packed up my entire equipment room and brought it with me.”
He’s not alone.
All 22 teams in the NBA restart had to pack more than ever, for a road trip like none other. Every team is assured of spending at least five weeks at Disney, and some could be there for three months. The challenges for players and coaches are obvious, but the challenge for equipment managers — among the unsung heroes of this restart plan — aren’t anywhere near as visible to those watching games from afar.
“This is what equipment managers were built for, honestly,” Orlando Magic equipment manager Jacob Diamond said. “We have some of the smartest guys around the league that do what I do and at the end of the day, for us, it’s really no job too big, no job too small. Our coaches are relying on us, our players, and this is history right here.
So, it’s kind of cool to be a part of it — even though it’s extra work.”
For this trip, Diamond has a two-room suite in the hotel that the Magic are calling home.
It’s not a perk. He needed the space.
Luggage is lined up around all four walls, with more bags in the middle of the room, along with a clothes rack, a large trunk and a bunch of bright blue bags with the Magic logo stacked over by the sliding door that leads to the balcony. He knows the contents of each, where every item is, so if Nikola Vucevic needs a certain pair of socks or Aaron Gordon needs a certain type of compression gear, Diamond finds it in a flash.
“I made sure I overpacked for this rather than underpacked,” Diamond said. “It’s not so easy to have things sent here. I’d rather have things here, ready to go, so here we are.”
Toronto Raptors equipment manager Paul Elliott prides himself on typically taking only what he needs. He tends to take 45 bags on a standard road trip; by NBA standards, that is packing light.
Not this time. For this trip, Elliott’s count was 176 bags.
“I looked at it as what they were going to take for a twoweek Western road trip, took what I would usually pack for that, and kind of quadrupled it,” Elliott said.
Days will be long for equipment managers. Each team only sent one on this trip because of the restrictions on the amount of people who can be in the NBA bubble.
There’s also a code among the equipment managers. While the 22 teams will be trying to beat each other, the equipment staffs are working together and helping one another where possible.
“We all understand each other’s daily battles,” Diamond said, “because we share the same ones.”