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Behind The Scenes At 2021 NBA Media Day

This is what it's really like to attend the annual event.

Pat Benson

© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

For the first time since September 2019, the league kicked off the preseason with NBA Media Day. For fans new to this, Media Day is where teams convene for official photos before sitting down for individual press conferences with media members. For the players, it's like the first day of school. For basketball nerds like myself, it's our version of the Met Gala.

Thankfully, I was able to attend the event and live-tweet most of it. But social media doesn't do it justice. So what's it like to attend NBA Media Day? It's always equally entertaining, informative, and challenging. Below, I'll explain why that's the case.

Thanks to my OCD, I arrived an hour early and beat most of the team to the event. In fact, while I was looking for parking, I was blinded by John Collins jewelry as he walked across the street. After checking in with the Hawks PR staff, media members grab a seat and chat with their colleagues. Not long after, players begin trickling in one by one. 

After the Hawks players throw on their brand new Nike Statement Uniforms (with a special diamond Jordan Brand logo commemorating the NBA's 75th anniversary), they take the podium one at a time. Questions often cover injuries and summer workouts, so I tried to dig deeper and ask off-the-court questions. But the whole time, you're juggling your notes, questions and trying to document all of the players' answers.

The mood throughout the venue was upbeat and spirited. Players and media members were happy to be back. Basketballs are bouncing, cameras are flashing, players are laughing, and it feels a little bit like the pre-pandemic times.

After about an hour under the bright lights, the final player exits the podium, and the event begins to wind down. #TrueToAtlanta, parking was a challenge, and luckily, I avoided bumping into Bob Rathbun's car as I narrowly escaped my spot on the street. 

Kudos to the NBA and the Atlanta Hawks organization for pulling off this event. It could not have been easy to do during a pandemic. Hopefully, you enjoyed the peek behind the scenes from 2021 NBA Media Day in Atlanta, Georgia. Keep it locked in here as we continue to unpack the plethora of new information we learned today.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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