NBA Coach Allegedly Punished Entire Team ... Because One Player Had An Android?
Ahhh, professional basketball coaches – they're just like us. And by just like us, I mean they too get irrationally annoyed when one member of the group chat has an Android, rendering the entire conversation in that irritating shade of green. Yep, according to an excerpt from the upcoming book Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP by sports reporter Mirin Fader, it seems famed NBA coach Jason Kidd once took his disdain for chartreuse chat bubbles to the next level while serving as the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, allegedly punishing the entire team after one player dared to respond to the team group chat on an Android.
Despite his name, Kidd reportedly didn't kid around while serving as the team's head coach between 2014 and 2018, according to Fader, allegedly offering a uniquely sadistic punishment whenever a team member would make a mistake during practice. Kidd's preferred mode of punishment? When faced with a faltering player, the coach allegedly forced the entire squad to run sprints as the lone offender stood on the sidelines, watching his teammates suffer due to their error. A “psychological punishment” designed to increase focus and accountability, according to Insider, it seems on-court infractions weren't the only crimes deserving of team-wide sprints to Kidd, who is currently the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks – the cardinal sin of not owning an iPhone also evidently counted as a punishable offense.
"At one point center Thon Maker didn't have an iPhone, messing up the team's blue-bubble iPhone group chat," Fader wrote in the book, as detailed by Insider. "Kidd was upset about it and made the team run because Kidd felt that Maker not getting an iPhone was an example of the team not being united."
So, folks, take it from any member of the Bucks – if you ever make it to the NBA and Jason Kidd is your coach, just buy the damn iPhone, unless you enjoy making your teammates hate you.
Top Image: Shutterstock/Keith Allison
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