Sleep in the NBA

The issue of sleeping is of considerable importance and note in regard to the National Basketball Association (NBA). Traveling and packed game schedules are among aspects of the NBA calendar that affect the sleep of NBA personnel. Due to these and other factors, sleep deprivation has become a prevalent issue affecting player performance.

To help combat sleep deprivation, NBA organizations have employed scientists or doctors specializing in sleep or sleep medicine on their staffs.

NBA players have long cited having issues sleeping or suffering from sleep deprivation. Aspects contributing to sleep deprivation include frequent travel across multiple time zones throughout a season, as well as constant circadian rhythm disruption. The issue has been noted to affect both in-game performances and mobility, as well as player recovery and mindset. The attitudes of players and organizations around the league, in regard to sleeping have changed over time. Starting in the late 2000s, NBA teams began to pay more attention to their players' sleeping habits.

According to a 2009 report by The Atlantic, players and coaches seldom slept for more than two or three hours at a time in between back-to-back games. During travel, both players and coaches were asked to sleep on the plane, the report stated. That year, NBA journalist Howard Beck wrote:

The typical night game ends at about 10 p.m. By the time players shower, dress and speak with the news media, it is close to 11 p.m. They are usually famished, so everyone eats a late dinner. Even the most conservative players—those who do not frequent nightclubs—will not get to sleep until at least 2 a.m. If the team is traveling, players may not reach their hotel until 3 a.m. For a shoot-around or practice that starts at 10 a.m., players have to arrive as early as 9 a.m. to lift weights, receive treatment or be taped.

Kobe Bryant stated in a 2014 interview that he used to "get by on three or four hours a night", before increasing the amount to between six and eight. By 2015, teams were still dealing with packed schedules, having to sometimes play four games in five nights or six in nine, respectively. These schedules often were cited as detrimental to players' energy and sleeping. LeBron James opined that sleep is the "most important" factor in player recovery but added that an NBA player's schedule makes it difficult to attain such sleep.

I think in a couple years, [sleep deprivation] will be an issue that's talked about, like the NFL with concussions.

During the 2017–18 season, then-Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford was told by a doctor that the major headaches he was suffering were due to sleep deprivation. Clifford had routinely slept four or five hours per night before waking up and working throughout his career. Later in 2018, Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated wrote that scientific data showing the effects of sleep deprivation on players of sports came to the forefront of team personnel's attention, leading to a greater focus on players' sleep and overall well-being that year. Also in 2018, a study by Lauren Hale of Stony Brook University showed that late-night use of Twitter had effects on players' performances during the day, with shooting accuracy, ability to rebound, and number of points scored negatively affected.