USA TODAY International Edition
NBA players’ bubble life improves after quarantine
Meals and perks such as entertainment at Disney World and its resorts available.
Don’t worry about those food photos posted on social media when NBA players began arriving at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida.
The NBA will provide enhanced culinary options for the season restart, partnering with an executive chef and a chain of restaurants to supplement several other food and beverage choices.
The league informed teams of options and COVID- 19 safety protocols in a memo sent late Wednesday.
Executive chef Shawn Loving, who has worked with USA Basketball at the Olympics and other international competitions, will oversee a commercial kitchen where each team can provide one culinary staffer to help prepare additional meals.
Also, the league has partnered with six restaurants – Del Frisco’s, Joe’s Crab Shack, Morton’s, The Oceanaire, Palm and Saltgrass – to provide delivery service to team hotels. Those restaurants are part of Landry’s Inc., a restaurant, entertainment and gaming company owned by Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.
In addition, each team will have a culinary team on campus to provide meals; a personal chef can prepare meals off- campus and have them delivered to players; room service is available; and multiple restaurants at each of the three resorts where teams are staying will have restaurants open.
“During the required quarantine period when teams first arrive to the NBA Campus at Orlando, meals are delivered directly to hotel rooms,” the NBA said in a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports.
“Each of the 22 NBA teams were paired with a Disney culinary team, who meets with each NBA team’s nutritionists regularly to create menus to support specific team needs. After clearing quarantine, players will also have access to various restaurants on campus and delivery options to choose from. Players will receive three meals a day and four meals on game days. There is never a shortage of food options – players can always request additional food by speaking with their team nutritionists.”
Those quarantine meal photos that surfaced on social media won’t be the norm when quarantine ends.
The league has extensive guidelines for food preparation, including following FDA’s best practices for food handling and preparation and delivery services, chefs signing a certification stating they are engaged only in essential activities outside of the chef ’s residence in Orlando and providing the NBA with information of cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing practices and staff hygiene standards in Orlando.
Those working with Loving in the commercial kitchen will wear PPE and undergo regular COVID- 19 testing.
Deliveries from off- campus food providers will follow strict protocols, including designated entry and drop- off points and catering personnel retrieving the deliver will wear full personal protection equipment and wipe bags with Clorox wipes.
For restaurants on the campus, dinein service will be limited to 25%- 50% capacity to enforce physical distancing, tables and chairs will be disinfected after each use, digital or single- use menus will be provided, food service employees will wear PPE at all times, including face shields and coverings, and outdoor seating will be encouraged.