Veteran Grant Williams connects with rookie Kon Knueppel ahead of tipoff.
Lugging duffel bags is one of the most common. Driving across town to fetch a couple dozen donuts from a particular bakery, that’s standard-issue stuff too. So is gathering up the empty water bottles strewn about the practice court or towels left lying on the locker room floor.
Packing and providing a teammate’s favorite soap or lotion can be part of an NBA rookie’s “to-do” list, too. Occasionally, there will be pink “Hello Kitty” backpacks to tote on the road all season, more of an initiation than a helpful chore.
All of it is part of a tradition in sports that pre-dates even the Basketball Association of America’s arrival in 1946-47, a…