ONE MORNING LAST season, the Philadelphia 76ers gathered for a team breakfast, a monthly gathering in the dining area of the Sixers' training facility in Camden, New Jersey. The airy space, appointed in soothing grays with sleek black-ribbed pendant lights hanging from the ceiling, is one part premium airport club, one part communal dining room where players can grab a freshly blended smoothie or help themselves to the healthy, chef-driven spread. And it was there that they listened to forward Robert Covington share his love for reptiles.
Present was not the entire roster, but most of the basketball operations staff, from assistant coaches to the analytics crew.