The NBA released a statement Wednesday clarifying what exactly the public was looking at when players shared what they were given to eat Tuesday night on social media. The meals that drew comparisons to airline food and the less-than-VIP-style-meals at Fyre Festival will not be what NBA players eat for much longer inside the Disney World bubble for the 2020 NBA season.
"During the required quarantine period when teams first arrive to the NBA Campus at Orlando, meals are delivered directly to hotel rooms," an NBA spokesman said. "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 gamedays. There is never a shortage of food options - players can always request additional food by speaking with their team nutritionists."
This statement certainly corroborates reporting that shortly followed the revelation of these meals. Marc Stein of the New York Times tweeted the following just before midnight on Tuesday -- he even found himself having to explain what he knew to NBA star Donovan Mitchell.
This not only seemed to bring relief to the concerned fans, but also to Mitchell himself, who replied with a gif that signaled his excitement upon learning of this news.
Players can even go the extra mile once the mandatory quarantine within the bubble ends, and even hire a personal chef located outside of the NBA Campus to prepare and send food into the NBA Campus on a daily basis. This would come at the player's own expense, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic back in June. It's a set up that not only would improve the meals available to players, but would likely also make the ones who saw what LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma were eating on Tuesday feel a lot better.
The NBA is set to resume on July 30 after the season was suspended back in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.