Food trays, bed bugs and worms: what it’s like living in the NBA and WNBA bubble

C. Isaiah Smalls II
·2 min read

Playing professional basketball might not be all that fun right now.

Early reports from the NBA and WNBA’s respective bubbles in Florida suggest that some players’ accommodations aren’t as luxurious as you would expect.

Denver Nuggets forward Troy Daniels and Brooklyn Nets guard Chris Chiozza posted photos of their dinners Tuesday evening which subsequently went viral, drawing comparisons to the infamous Fyre Festival meals. The Nuggets and Nets were among the six teams that entered the bubble Tuesday at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista.

The WNBA’s situation, however, appears to be far worse. A league source told Deadspin that two of the teams needed to be moved after finding bed bugs in their living quarters at the IMG Academy in Bradenton. These claims were substantiated by a video of the laundry facility shared on social media Monday evening. A mouse trap stood out as the most shocking element while a subsequent video showed worms inside one of the rooms.

As Twitter erupted with their customary comedic circuit, other NBA players who have yet to arrive in Florida appeared to poke fun as well, though it’s unclear whether the jibes were intentional. Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma posted a picture of sushi on his Instagram story with a shrug emoji. Similarly, LeBron James continued with his weekly Taco Tuesday tradition, the sound of his family munching likely drowning out the din of Daniels’ and Chiozza’s growling stomach.

Los Angeles Lakers teammates LeBron James (left) and Kyle Kuzma (right) enjoyed much better meals than their NBA peers inside the bubble. Troy Daniels of the Denver Nuggets and Chris Chiozza of the Brooklyn Nets shared photos of their dinners that appeared to mirror airport food trays.
Los Angeles Lakers teammates LeBron James (left) and Kyle Kuzma (right) enjoyed much better meals than their NBA peers inside the bubble. Troy Daniels of the Denver Nuggets and Chris Chiozza of the Brooklyn Nets shared photos of their dinners that appeared to mirror airport food trays.

Marc Stein of the New York Times reported the quality of food will improve once the NBA players’ quarantine ends. As for the WNBA, there’s no telling what will happen next. The source also told Deadspin that many players refused to eat breakfast Tuesday.

The NBA will resume play July 30 while the WNBA has yet to finalize a start date.