NBA COACHES ATTIRE: MASKS ARE IN, JACKETS ARE OPTIONAL

For NBA coaches, masks are required this season. Jackets are not.

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Rules for coaching attire will be relaxed by the league this year, though not as much as was the case during play at the bubble at Walt Disney World this past summer. Suit jackets or sport coats will not be required — as was the case in the bubble, when most coaches wore polo shirts and many said they preferred that option.

The new league mandate, as detailed in a memo sent to coaches Sunday and obtained by The Associated Press, requires “business attire ... dress shirts, pants, socks, and shoes.” There’s no mention of ties, which some coaches have often gone without in recent years, but an exception is made for polo shirts as long as they are NBA licensed and the head coach and all assistant coaches are wearing the same shirt.

The biggest change, though, is the masks, a decision made with safety in mind as the coronavirus pandemic rages on and NBA teams prepare to play in arenas again for the first time since last season was suspended on March 11 when Utah center Rudy Gobert tested positive.