An NBA game is 48 minutes of action-packed exchanges between two teams with 15 elite players in each group.
While it is an intense game, there are times when you, as a fan, would wonder how NBA players pee during a game.
Normally, NBA players would pee before or after the game. The halftime is also a break long enough to relieve themselves of these excess body fluids. However, if they really need to go while the game is playing, they can have a quick run to the locker room’s restroom.
So, let us quickly look at how these elite players survive the call of nature during a game.
How Do NBA Players Pee?
NBA Players are the cream of the crop for basketball players worldwide, so they are less nervous during games, unlike normal people.
That’s one reason they don’t experience nature calls due to anxiety. However, since they are drinking fluid during games, they must also experience the need to go.
Typically, NBA players use the pregame and postgame to use the restroom. They can also maximize the halftime break to use the facility.
So, if NBA players really need to pee during a game, they can excuse themselves to their coaches and return to the locker room to ease themselves.
But since basketball is a physical game that includes sweating a lot, players are more likely to lose more water in their bodies to have anything left for peeing.
Why NBA Players Probably Won’t Leave the Game for the Restroom?
It is unusual for players to leave the bench during the game to go to the restroom, though it still happens.
There may be some explanations why players don’t go as frequently as one might hope to.
Here are some.
1. The players are already sweating
Like what we learned in grade school biology, the primary purpose of peeing is to excrete waste and excess water from the body. However, since these basketball players play at the highest level in the NBA, it is expected that they are already sweating a lot.
So, even if the players keep themselves filled with fluid like Gatorade during a game, it may be enough only to replenish their lost fluid.
2. They don’t want to miss anything important
Have you ever been to a movie where a scene is at its climax, and you don’t want to miss anything? For some players, that may be one of the reasons why they wouldn’t want to leave the bench even if they need to.
Imagine if you were one of the Heat players during Game 6 of the 2014 NBA Finals when you needed to go due to the excess fluid in your body. Then, while you’re away, Ray Allen made one of the most clutch shots in the history of the NBA. What would you feel?
3. The bladder won’t likely be filled during the game
According to Biology, a normal and healthy bladder takes about 8 to 9 hours before filling. Since the typical NBA game only takes two to three hours to finish, as long as the players go to the restroom before the game and don’t drink more fluid than required, they probably won’t need to use the restroom.
However, the players with minimal playing time may need to visit the locker room during the game if they drink too much while on the bench.
Where do they go When Nature Calls During the Game?
Generally, NBA players would return to their respective locker rooms to use the restroom.
Though they can probably use the common restroom for fans and spectators, it may cause a commotion among fans if they suddenly see one of the players standing next to them in a urinal.
Also, if you’ll think about it, NBA Players have an average height of 6’7” and weighs more than 220 lbs, so even if they use the arena’s restrooms, they would probably be too big for them.
NBA Players Who Had to Pee During the Game
Professional athletes are mostly kept hydrated during a game, so it almost always happens when players have to pee during a game.
It is also common among other sports that players will need to pee during a game. But for the NBA, here are two examples.
1. LeBron James
In the 1st Quarter of Game 4 of the 2014 NBA Finals between his Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, LeBron had to excuse himself with 4:59 minutes into the game and jogged his way to the locker room.
Initially thought to be an injury turned out to be an emergency call from the restroom to relieve himself.
2. Bill Walker
Bill is now known as Henry Walker, but there is an event his name change can’t hide, and the Internet never forgets.
In 2007, while playing for the Kansas State Wildcats against Oregon, he didn’t want to waste any minute going to and from the restroom, so he decided to do something quite unthinkable. He grabbed a few towels, put them inside his pants, and peed.
Since then, the legend of “Bill Walker Pisses Excellence” was born.
How to Avoid Having to Pee During the Game?
1. Pee before the game
Empty your bladder before the start of the game. This way, you will not have excessive water in your body that can disrupt your focus on the game. You can also use the halftime break to use the restroom if you must.
2. Don’t drink too much water or sports drink during the game
If you want to avoid filling your bladder, you can always avoid drinking too much during the game, especially if you are on the bench and not sweating enough.
Conclusion
Peeing is normal for people, including the elite athletes of the NBA. So even if it is rare for NBA Players to go peeing during a game, it can still happen.
If it does, players can notify their coaches that they need to return to the locker room to use the restroom.