NBA

A life in the NBA means a life on the road. We checked out the itineraries of four teams to see just how long and winding that road is.

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Words by TOM DEVOTO | Design by Jeremiah mCNair

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Since their cities are furthest from one another, Western Conference teams tend to travel more than their Eastern counterparts. The big exception? The Lakers, the eighth least-traveled team in the NBA this season, and the biggest homebody in the Western Conference. It’s partially due to having two additional games at home, because they share the Staples Center with division rivals, the LA Clippers.

utah jazz

Los Angeles

Salt Lake City

San Antonio

Toronto Raptors

sACRAMENTO KINGS

Portland TRAILBLAZERS

DALLAS MAVERICKS

houston ROCKETS

detroit pistons

chicago Bulls

miami HEAT

ATLANTA hawks

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

PHILADELPHIA 76ers

BOSTON CELTICS

NEW YORK KNICKS

CHARLOTTE HORNETS

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

CLEVELAND

denver NUGGETS

indiana PACERS

memphis GRIZZLIES

New orleans PELICANS

PHOENIX SUNS

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

ORLANDO MAGIC

brooklyn nets

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

los angeles LAKERS

INTRO

One quirk in the Spurs’ schedule: a grueling eight-game road trip. No other team plays more than six consecutive games on the road at any point this season. Granted, this road trip is split by the All-Star Break, which gives everyone a few days off, but that just adds more travel to the itinerary—whether making a trip back home, flying to Chicago for the All-Star Game, or taking a much-needed vacation, these miles take a toll, too.

The Cavs have it easier than any team this year. They’ll log about 20,000 fewer miles than the Jazz will in 2019-20. It helps that they have plenty of local opponents—the Pistons, Pacers, Raptors, Bucks, and Bulls are all within 350 miles. They also enjoy a favorable schedule: the Cavs only go to the West Coast twice, knocking out their eight West Coast games in two road trips, while the Jazz, for example, make five cross-country trips.

The Utah Jazz will lead the league in miles traveled over the course of the 175-day regular season. They’ll make five separate trips to the Eastern time zone, four during a six-week stretch around New Year’s. The Jazz also have a league-high 12 one-game road trips. It doesn’t help that they have few local opponents—the closest is the Denver Nuggets, 371 miles away.

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BA teams travel more than any other American sports franchises; this year, the Utah Jazz will almost double the mileage covered by the NFL’s travel kings, the Oakland Raiders. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has considered a shorter schedule, citing worries about the abundance of travel and the lack of sleep players endure. Some coaches regularly rest their stars during long stretches of play. Last year’s NBA Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard, missed 22 regular season games so that he’d be fresh for the playoffs—and clearly, it paid off. But inevitably, rest invites a backlash, particularly when it’s multi-millionaire athletes doing the resting. So we looked at the travel itineraries of these four teams to paint a clearer picture of the issue. Just how frequently do these ballers hit the road?

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Why do NBA teams travel so much?

2019—2020 nba season

55,576 total season miles Equivalent in flights from LAX JFK: 22 Equivalent in global circumnavigations: 2

34,958 total season miles Equivalent in LAX JFK flights: 14 Equivalent in trips around Lake Erie: 43

49,682 total season miles Equivalent in LAX JFK flights: 20 Equivalent in Tim Duncans liNed up head-to-toe: approximately 38 million

43,632 total season miles Equivalent in LAX JFK flights: 17 Equivalent in trips down the Hollywood Walk of Fame: 33,500

NBA teams log considerably more miles than those in the MLB and NFL. The MLB plays more games, but teams generally play three- or four-game series in every city. NFL teams only play 16 games, traveling (maybe) once per week for mostly regional road games. Like the NBA, NHL teams play 82 games, including at least two matchups with each team, but NBA teams generally log a few thousand more miles. Since taking the NBA’s top job in 2014, Silver has made a few notable player-friendly changes to the schedule, including a longer All-Star break and fewer games on consecutive nights. Now he’s thinking about shortening the regular season as well. Some people are already on board.

Why do NBA teams travel so much?

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A life in the NBA means a life on the road. For some teams, it’s the equivalent of traveling around the world twice in 175 days.

Words by TOM DEVOTO | Design by Jeremiah mCNair