Ogio

Karen Song

Max Reza and Kyle Rohde pack the truck for the long trip ahead.

“This was a unique trip to pack for. Our goal is to be here for three months, so I couldn’t pack like I do for a typical road trip during the regular season. I usually try and be efficient with my packing, but this time around I focused on having adequate inventory for an extended stay. I packed enough socks, shorts, compressions socks, etc. for three months and transformed the hotel room next to mine into my equipment room here in Orlando. We’re here for the long haul.”

The aforementioned pop-up equipment room.

Sanitation and safety are paramount on the NBA campus in Orlando. Among the hundreds of safety measures that were implemented, Tommy Murdock prepares multiple individual water bottles for each player to ensure there are no refills from a common water source or accidental sharing.

Social-distanced bench seating on the sidelines are assigned to each player individually.

A meticulous cleaning crew disinfects the entire playing area before each game.

Setting up the locker room prior to games is no small task.

“The entire operation is unique because you can only get into the locker room a couple of hours before tip-off. In the regular season, you usually have a shootaround at the arena in the morning and you load in your equipment and set up your locker room during that time. In Orlando, we have only one hour to transport equipment and set up our locker room before the team arrives. Luckily I’ve got plenty of help. Our assistant athletic trainer, Tommy Murdock, and Head Strength &amp; Conditioning Coach, Daniel Shapiro, accompany me on the equipment bus and assist me with locker room set up. Not to mention, the NBA has provided us with team attendants that also help us unload equipment and set up our team locker room.”

In the hallway of the arena, Daniel Shapiro prepares Marcus Morris for the game ahead.

“There are definitely some challenges that come with getting guys ready for games in this environment, in contrast to the typical season. First of all, even if you’re the home team, it’s still a road game in certain ways. Training equipment at the arenas is uniform and distributed equally to all teams to ensure there is no competitive advantage. Player pregame routines are often modified due to timing constraints and limited access to the court. Because multiple games are being played in the arenas and the cleaning crew has to disinfect the court, we have a much shorter window for court access compared with the normal season. On the flip side, there are some advantages as well. Because the schedule is so strict, we all arrive and depart together on one of two buses decreasing certain variables that may alter a successful pregame warmup - such as L.A. traffic.

Doc Rivers encourages the players during their pregame routines one last time before the tip.

Just behind the beautiful LED boards that hug the court, the team huddles together one last time before taking the floor in front of the home (virtual) fans.

For Dennis Rogers, Director of Basketball Communications, connecting media to players and coaches on the NBA campus has been unique. With limited media personnel permitted on site, players and coaches fulfill their media obligations via Zoom on a socially distanced setup in the hallways of the arena just outside the team locker room.

Another example of how NBA PR has prepared designated areas for teams to connect with local and national media.

The players have plenty of opportunity for recreation while on campus. When time permits, they are able to enjoy the pool, bike rides, golf, volleyball, even an arcade. For Paul George, his passion for fishing takes him late into the evening on the hotel dock. “Being able to do things like this makes (being on campus) more normal for me because it’s a time just to reflect. I feel like I’m at home again.”

OGIO is proud to serve as the team’s supplier of high performance travel gear throughout the NBA season and offseason. For more information on OGIO or to shop products, click here.

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On the Road with OGIO: Inside the Bubble

Joseph Ibarra

For weeks now, energy has been high at the Honey Training Center and the gym has been packed with players and staff; building, bonding, preparing, and packing for the third annual training camp trip to Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Aloha State welcomes nearly 9.3 million tourists each year, offering powdery white-sand beaches, crystal clear water, beautiful scenery, fresh local catches, a plethora of outdoor activities, and for two days in October — NBA basketball.

To Head Coach Doc Rivers, this is the perfect recipe.

“It’s team bonding. Getting away from everything. Just eating together… riding the bus, it sounds trivial, but those rides are invaluable. Doing that two or three times a day, you’re just sitting there talking. That’s what happens at those things, it’s not even forced anymore, they do it on their own.”

While sunset boat rides and UTV off-roading on the countryside are for pleasure and bonding, second year man out of Wichita State Landry Shamet makes it clear, “this is a business trip.” Each practice on Hawaiian soil is addressed with a sense of urgency; not just to play, but to teach and to learn the system and language associated with it.

Come game time, the equipment truck is unpacked, players are shuttled in and a sold out crowd fills the stands at Stan Sheriff Center. You can feel the buzz of the Hawaiian fans talking, cheering, oo-ing and ahh-ing. This is a special time of year at the University of Hawaii. The rare chance to see NBA basketball in the flesh.

The team puts in two solid performances splitting a pair of games versus the Houston Rockets and Shanghai Sharks. Terance Mann mans the point in both contests and impresses on both ends of the floor, averaging 7.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 3.5 APG in 23.2 MPG. In the front court, Montrezl Harrell notches a team-high 17 points vs Houston and Moe Harkless goes a perfect 7/7 from the field and 16 points versus Shanghai.

As the sun sets on another training camp in Hawaii, the team heads back to Los Angeles changed in many ways. Preseason is about working on your craft, learning about your team and yourself, where you need to improve and, most importantly, building team chemistry.

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On The Road with OGIO: Hawaii Training Camp

The desert sun beats down on the UNLV campus as doors to an auxiliary gym open. A cool, air-conditioned breeze rushes out and players, coaches and staff file in for the first practice of 2019 NBA Summer League.

2018-19 NBA Equipment Manager of the Year and Director of Team Operations Max Reza and his team usher in OGIO bags to the gym with treatment equipment, shoes and basketballs. The equipment is fresh off the team truck that made the trek from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

“Every year, we drive to Summer League in our equipment truck because of how close Los Angeles is to Las Vegas.

Once all of the bags are tagged and loaded onto the equipment truck, we depart Los Angeles in advance of the team so that all of the personal luggage bags are delivered to our players, coaches, and staff members’ rooms before the team even arrives in Las Vegas.

After we’re done sorting and delivering all of our bags, we’ll pull the practice loops for our players and lay them out in the training room. The players will come by and pick up their practice loops from the training room the next morning.”

HERE WE GO! Agua Caliente Clippers Head Coach Brian Adams and the coaching staff are upbeat during practice, pushing the pace of drills and perfecting the execution of plays and the game plan.

The group huddles at half court at the conclusion of practice — Clips on three… one… two… three… Clips!

In another gym on the UNLV campus a collection of vets arrive for an impromptu player organized workout including Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, Rodney McGruder, Ivica Zubac and Landry Shamet.

The group hits the weight room and then to the gym to get shots up, run drills and work on half-court sets. Second year guard Landry Shamet works the pick and roll with Ivica Zubac and tosses it to the corner for a Rodney McGruder three.

“I think it just goes to show we are all locked in. We have the right leadership and the right personnel to do something special this season, so it’s important to take it upon ourselves to get into the gym together as much as possible leading up to training camp and the season.“ said Shamet.

The “off-season” they call it… the switch to improve is always on.

The Strip strobes with flashing LEDs, advertisements, car lights as the sidewalks rush with tourists. It’s night time in Las Vegas and that can only mean one thing — basketball.

The Summer Clips sit idly by in a Thomas &amp; Mack Center vom looking on at the game before theirs awaiting its conclusion. You never know who you’re going to see at Summer League, whether it’s Lou Williams, Doc Rivers and Jerry West sitting courtside or Vince Carter passing through.

The previous game concludes and the players take the court looking to showcase their talents in front of veteran players sitting courtside, coaches on the bench and scouts in the crowd.

Mfiondu Kabengele impresses on both ends of the floor, snatching rebounds out of the air, blocking shots at the rim, dunking in traffic and showing some range beyond the arch. Kabengele finished Summer League averaging a near double-double with 17 points and 7.8 rebounds.

The number 48 pick in the 2019 Draft Terance Mann takes on the point guard position during Summer League, a place he’s found success this summer, almost notching a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists against the Washington Wizards.

The final buzzer sounds, postgame handshakes commence and the day is almost done. Players file into their locker room, grabbing a seat on a folding chair next to their belongings, icing up, undoing tape and cracking jokes. Coach Brian Adams gathers his staff to collect thoughts and critiques from the game to deliver to the team.

Coach Adams addresses the team “I really like the effort from everyone. You guys put it all out there. This was a special week for me and I want to thank everyone. You guys are awesome. Your spirit. Your energy. I really appreciate it. Love all of you.”

Clips on three… one… two… three… Clips!

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On The Road with OGIO: A Day at NBA Summer League

It’s the final road trip of the regular season, and the Clippers are on their way to The Bay. There, they’ll get a fourth and final look at their eventual first-round playoff opponent, and a place in NBA history as the last visiting team to play a regular season game at Oracle Arena.

The defending-champion Warriors will move across the bay to San Francisco next season, but not before a nostalgic night celebrating their home of 47 years and the many memories during that time.

In partnership with OGIO, here’s an inside look at the trip through the eyes of the Clippers and their dedicated equipment staff.

The team heads north with heavy hearts as it mourns the loss of L.A. rapper Nipsey Hussle. Montrezl Harrell honors the fallen community activist and hardcore basketball fan as he boards the plane for San Francisco.

It’s a short flight to San Francisco, but travel within the Bay Area presents challenges for any team trying to navigate the trips from airport to hotel and hotel across the Bay Bridge to arena. For this reason, in cities like San Francisco and New York, it’s common to request a police escort to ensure the team arrives to its destination in a timely manner.

“The use of police escort allows the team to navigate during heavy traffic conditions with little or no interruption in travel,” says Hector “The Protector” Ramirez.

“It’s a great venue because of the fans,” says Doc Rivers at his final regular season pre-game media availability at Oracle. “It’s not a great venue because of the building, if you know what I mean. It’s the fans that make this place special.”

The fans, and the memories… On the far wall, you’ll notice the “We Believe” shirt above the hole in the wall caused by Dirk Nowitzki throwing a trash can after the 2007 Warriors’ historic upset of the top-seeded Mavs.

Shaun Livingston, drafted fourth overall by the Clippers in 2004, drops by the Clippers’ broadcast to pay his respects to Ralph Lawler. The two Peoria High School alums share a special bond, and always go out of their way to check in when possible.

Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Daniel Shapiro gets the team loose before the final regular season game at Oracle.

Manager of Team Operations Kyle Rohde sits on the extra bag, or “X Bag,” as it’s called, during play. “It’s hardly used, but incredibly important,” he says. “With the NBA being as physical as it is, jerseys can be ripped, torn, or stained with blood. We carry the X Bag next to the bench in case any of those scenarios occur, we are able to quickly pull a fresh jersey or pair of shorts. Fortunately, we have only gone into the bag once this season when Montrezl Harrell had an excessive amount of blood on his white jersey and shorts in Sacramento – (Director of Team Operations) Max (Reza) and I were able to provide him with a clean uniform directly on-court and he was able to return to the game without missing any playing time. That scenario is exactly why we carry the bag on court with us.”

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On the Road with OGIO: Farewell, Oracle

The All-Star break is just that — a break — for most around the NBA, but for a select group of players and team employees, it can be as busy a time during the season as ever.

This season, point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was selected to represent the Clippers as a member of the World Team in the NBA’s annual showcase of its top young talent, the MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars game. In addition to the rookie, the team sent two members of their digital content team to follow Gilgeous-Alexander’s first All-Star Weekend in Charlotte.

In partnership with OGIO, the LA Clippers’ supplier of high-performance travel gear, we’re showing you what it’s like to participate in NBA All-Star Weekend.

Fresh off the red-eye from Los Angeles, Director of Social Media Alessandro Gasparro takes a moment to map out the plan of attack for the rest of the day. The content team will be on the ground in Charlotte for barely 48 hours, but between shoots, practice, media sessions, and the game itself, every minute counts.

The rookie gets his first taste of All-Star weekend at the NBA Entertainment circuit. Here, he cycles through a series of photo and video shoots with the league and its partners, including Twitter and Turner.

Pictured on set for @NBAKicks (the league’s sneaker-focused vertical) Gilgeous-Alexander is asked to sign the wall with a phrase that holds personal significance. He chooses, “Be great.”

Gilgeous-Alexander’s Friday schedule is packed. It starts with media availability at 9:30 a.m., followed by the NBA Cares Day of Service, and then down to the court for practice — all before noon. After practice, he’ll head back to the hotel for more media — including an interview with Clippers Digital on the ride back — before bussing to the Spectrum Center for the Rising Stars game.

Video producer Andre Robinson is a rookie in his own right. He joined the Clippers in prior to the 2018-19 season and this is his first All-Star Weekend. With media swarming at each event, Robinson quickly learned that he needs to be aggressive to make sure he got all his shots. “Find the moment, capture the moment,” he says.

Gilgeous-Alexander shares a laugh with fellow rookie DeAndre Ayton during the NBA Cares Day of Service. The two have known each other since their days as Basketball Without Borders campers. “We’ve always been on the “World” side of things, for [Nike] Hoop Summit and other events like that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’ve played with him multiple times and he’s a good dude, a fun dude to be around.”

While the rook is preparing for the game, Clippers play-by-play announcer Ralph Lawler is honored with the 2019 Curt Gowdy Media Award. As a recipient of the award, the Voice of the Clippers will be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this September, the ultimate honor to culminate his 40-year tenure with the club.

NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Artris Gilmore, and Rick Barry (pictured) were among those in attendance to celebrate the next class of Hall of Famers. “What really stuck me when I was up there on the stage was I turned around and all those Hall of Fame players who were seated behind me, I broadcasted their games at one point or another,” Lawler said. “To review that and stand there on that stage with those great Hall of Famers made a special moment even more special.”

Despite being the lone Canadian on this year’s World squad, Gilgeous-Alexander is part of a national program that is one the rise. As someone who grew up watching Steve Nash, Rowan Barrett, and others, the rookie understands the impact he can make on the next generation of Canadian ballers. “I just want to be an example for kids back home,” he says.

Gilgeous-Alexander holds his own in his Rising Stars debut, tallying 15 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Following the game, he described All-Star Weekend as “an experience I’ll never forget.”

As Gilgeous-Alexander’s night is coming to an end, Robinson kicks into high gear, cutting a recap to share on the Clippers’ social media channels just minutes following the conclusion of the game.

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On the Road with OGIO: All-Star Weekend

The 2019 trade deadline was the busiest in NBA history. A total of 56 players moved teams in 20 deals across the league, with 26 out of 30 teams getting in on the action. The Clippers, in the midst of a season-long six-game road trip, were as active as anyone.

By Thursday’s deadline, they had acquired five new players and traded or waived six others in a 36-hour span, creating quite the logistical challenge for a basketball operations staff that works tirelessly to keep things running smoothly at all times.

In partnership with OGIO, our supplier of high-performance travel gear, we’re giving an inside look at the L.A. Clippers’ trade deadline experience.

Director of Team Operations Max Reza’s crew springs into action as Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline passes. The goal is to outfit all five new players with the standard gear package (including hoodies, tees, shorts and team-issued OGIO luggage) upon arrival in Boston. This trade deadline was tricky because it fell in the middle of the annual Grammy trip, but the equipment crew didn’t miss a beat: JP Cadena (Team Operations Assistant) and Gus Garza (Basketball Facilities Assistant) overnighted everything from Los Angeles for Friday morning delivery in Boston, so Reza was able to have OGIO bags waiting in their rooms before their first team meeting. It also falls on Reza to coordinate jersey numbers for the new players, which can be a challenge, but he says this year’s group made that task pain-free: “It could’ve been dumb luck, but all five of our new players got the number they wanted.”

The dust begins to settle on Saturday morning as the team comes together for breakfast at their Boston hotel. Doc Rivers takes a moment to welcome his new players before shootaround, reflecting on the three times he was traded as a player. At one table, rookies Landry Shamet and Jerome Robinson, two of the top scoring prospects from the 2018 Draft, get to know each other before taking the court together for the first time later that night.

Garrett Temple and JaMychal Green were with the Memphis Grizzlies in Oklahoma City when they found out they’d been traded. It was a quick up-and-back, so naturally they had packed light, leaving the veterans drip-less for the remaining two games on the Clippers’ road trip.

It would be hard to imagine anyone making a more seamless post-trade transition than Ivica Zubac, who joined the Clippers in exchange for Mike Muscala just one day after Muscala was part of the return for Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic and Mike Scott. The Lakers were already in Boston to play the Celtics on Thursday, so the 21-year-old center got to stay in the same hotel room as he waited for his new team. This made life easier on the operations crew, which was able to grab Zubac’s equipment from the Lakers’ staff at the hotel, and drop off Muscala’s, which had already arrived from the 76ers.

The Clippers had already overcome two 20-plus-point deficits on this trip, and the new group found itself in another hole as they trailed the Celtics by 28. Then something clicked, according to head coach Doc Rivers, en route to an improbable 123-112 victory: “At halftime I told the guys, ‘Everyone’s playing uptight… Stop trying to impress each other, get out of each other’s way and just start playing.’”

Zubac (12 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks) and Shamet (17 points) earned TV time with their strong first impressions. After the game, Rivers shared praise for his two newest young players: “Zubac can really play, and Shamet’s gonna be huge for us.”

After 10 nights on the road, the Clippers will fly back to Southern California following Monday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Manager of Team Operations Kyle Rohde orchestrates one final “bag pull” as the team prepares to depart the hotel in Minneapolis.

The Clippers were the fifth-oldest team in the NBA before their massive roster shakeup, but they got an infusion of youth after dealing away four veterans and waiving two more. Shamet, 21, is now one of nine players 25 and under. But for all his energy on the court, the rookie is ready for bed as the team lands in L.A. around 1:30 a.m.

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On the Road with OGIO: The Trade Deadline

Welcome to the MGM Resorts Winter Showcase in Las Vegas, where every G League team converges under one roof to play in front of general managers and player personnel executives from all 30 NBA organizations.

This year’s Showcase, the G League’s annual in-season scouting event, spans 27 games over four days at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Previous hosts include Mississauga, Ont., Santa Cruz, Calif., Reno, Nev., Columbus, Ga., Fayetteville, N.C., Sioux Falls, S.D., Boise, Idaho and South Padre Island, Texas.

In partnership with OGIO, the LA and Agua Caliente Clippers’ supplier of high-performance travel gear, we’re giving an all-access pass to The Showcase.

One of the marquee names in Las Vegas was Clippers two-way player Johnathan Motley, who leads Agua Caliente with 26.5 points per game on 57.8 percent shooting, along with 11.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Heading into the Showcase, he was the only player in the G League averaging more than 25 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, and had been named Player of the Week twice.

Look no further than the bench for an indication of how a team is faring... The Clippers sank 16 threes in their Showcase-opening victory over the Grand Rapids Drive, the Detroit Pistons’ affiliate.

As a senior at Seton Hall, Angel Delgado led all major college players in rebounding, and as a G League rookie, he has remained in the top five on the glass. Angel’s coach, former Clipper and fellow Big East alum Zendon Hamilton, congratulates him on another strong effort: 17 points and a game-high 14 boards in the 110-94 win.

No matter the sport or the level, if there is a locker-room food spread, you’re likely to find peanut butter, jelly and bananas. Here, former Southern Illinois Saluki Evan Taylor spreads himself a PB&amp;J for a post-game snack.

For the first time, the Showcase is held in December, allowing NBA team personnel the opportunity to evaluate players in advance of the 10-day signing period (starting January 5th) and two-way guarantee deadline (January 15th). The G League has become a springboard for players hoping to reach the next level, with 40 percent of NBA players currently boasting minor league experience. More than 60 players have earned NBA contracts during or immediately following the last 14 events – including 11 last year– making the event a premium destination for executives like Mark Hughes (Clippers Assistant General Manager), Lawrence Frank (President of Basketball Operations), and Johnny Rogers (Director of Pro Player Personnel).

The G League has proven to be a breeding ground for talent off the court as well. Dee Brown, speaking here with NBA Entertainment, might be known around the globe as a high-flyer and 12-year NBA vet who won the 1991 Slam Dunk Contest, but the Agua Caliente Clippers General Manager has been working in the G League since 2009.

The Clippers unpack road jerseys from their OGIO Terminal Travel Bag bag for their second Showcase matchup, against the Capital City Go-Go, the Washington Wizards’ first-year affiliate.

With 27 teams in the building, staff has to get creative with space. Here, Head Athletic Trainer Colby Claridy prepares Anthony Bennett to take the court for Game 2 in a makeshift training room.

The Showcase brings Bennett back to Las Vegas, where he played high school ball at Findlay Prep. To his right is Jordan McRae, who has played in 66 NBA games for three different teams, winning a championship with the Cavaliers… the same franchise that selected Bennett with the first overall pick in the 2013 Draft. These two take a moment to smile as they continue to pursue their NBA dreams.

Like so many others at the Showcase, Brian Adams is dedicated to the grind. A tireless worker who started as a member of Doc Rivers’ video staff in Boston and is now the Agua Caliente Head Coach, he takes great pride in developing his players for future success. “We have to run a system that mirrors that of our big-league club, so when guys do get the opportunity to come up via two-ways or call-ups, they can jump right in,” said Adams. “I’ve seen a lot of players come through Doc’s system. He’s utilized a wide array of sets and concepts to put those players in a position to succeed and to play to their strengths, so I’ve got a vast library of his stuff that I can utilize for our personnel.”

After four action-packed days, the Showcase comes to a close, with the Clippers splitting their two games. Many players will receive potentially life-changing opportunities in the coming days. They are forging their own paths, hoping to follow in the footsteps of past standouts such as Patrick Beverley and Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside and Clint Capela, Robert Covington and Jeremy Lin, Seth Curry and JJ Barea.