NBA Final Kids @ Press Briefings

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Riley, Stephen Curry's daughter is a big girl now, but she grew up in the public eye
 in press briefings, after her father's team won conferences and championships. 

Stephen A. Smith and all basketball fans are waiting for the 2023 NBA Finals with bated breath. The media is sitting in the wings keeping their fingers crossed that the winning team will not bring kids to the victory press briefing.

Kids are kids, cuteness overload. That’s why they grab the microphone and touch daddy’s face while he’s in the middle of a sentence, but it makes things difficult for the press, that is in that room to do a job. They wouldn’t dare admit it because you can be called anything, but not anti-kids. Players bring  kids to press briefings because they hardly see them throughout the season, flying from one end of the country to the other. That is understandable.

How does the NBA balance cuteness and sports journalists’ assignment to cover the victory or championship press briefing? They are on deadline, like other journalists covering City Hall, courts, technology, medical or any other beat. Time is ticking during the interview and some of it is taken by kids ‘kidding’ around. That is a given. They are kids, but how about the journalists? Don’t they deserve a neutral place to do their job?

Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA Championship. Kyle Lowry had his hands full with his two kids and the trophy. Organizers explained to him that kids were not part of the official proceedings, so he removed them. If Miami Heat wins, he’ll do the same thing. Maybe the NBA can divide the press briefing into question time and media time with daddy, afterwards.

Sports journalists at the 2023 Final game press briefing dread the press briefing, trying to juggle kids' cuteness and their job.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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