NBA Memo Says Coaches Must Wear Masks in Arenas, Team Facilities Amid Pandemic

As the NBA prepares for the start of the 2020-21 season on Dec. 22, the league has issued a memo regarding guidelines for face coverings amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Per Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, coaches will be required to wear masks at arenas and team facilities and cannot pull their masks down longer than is "occasionally necessary under the circumstances to perform essential coaching duties."

The new mask rules apply to all coaches "regardless of age," per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.

Teams across the league are set to resume regular travel and play in their home arenas this season for the first time since the shutdown on March 11.

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who wore a mask as part of a larger movement in Florida to raise awareness of masks, is hopeful that the new mandates will encourage the public to wear face coverings (h/t Reynolds):

"One, it became a habit. And then two, we want to continue to use our platform to make people aware that masks can and do make a difference. And if they see us wearing them all the time and not having a problem with it and understanding the importance of it, hopefully that can normalize it everywhere else."

In addition to the mask mandate, the league adjusted its coaching dress code to remove a requirement of suit jackets or sport coats, but it will still require "business attire," per Reynolds.