An Exclusive Q&A With Ivica Zubac: "I think we’re going to come back."
Just because the NBA season is postponed, doesn't mean Ivica Zubac is taking it easy. While there are no games, Zubac has trained every day as if there was one.
The 2019-20 season was supposed to be the biggest season of the Croatian center's career. He had just signed the biggest contract of his life, is a starter playing with superstars, and has the ability to legitimately contend for an NBA championship. His season wasn't supposed to end in a cancelation.
Unfortunately, life is a series of moments that are always changing, moments that we sometimes can't prepare for. No one could have prepared for a pandemic, nor for the NBA season to be put on hiatus. The best Zubac can do, is prepare for the potential moment that basketball returns. Throughout this hiatus, he's' treated every day with the mindset that his championship opportunity will return.
What have you been doing during the hiatus?
Zubac: "I’ve just been trying to work out every day. Not basketball stuff, just lifting weights and conditioning. We’re not allowed to do any basketball stuff, because they closed down the facility. Watching shows like Money Heist, reading, and puzzles. A lot of sleep."
What's going on in these famous Zoom conferences?
Zubac: "We’re divided into groups of players. There are groups of 3 or 4 players, and our strength coaches. We do it every other day. We’ve got all the equipment at home. The Clippers provided everything we need for the workouts."
How long are the Zoom workouts?
Zubac: "It’s about an hour. It’s like a real workout that we would do during the season, the same thing. We’ve got everything we needed. We’ve gotta get creative with some stuff. It’s been really good."
What equipment did the Clippers provide you?
Zubac: "They gave us adjustable dumbbells that go up to 90 pounds, boxes, bench, kettlebells, bands, ladders, jump ropes, medicine ball, swiss balls, pretty much everything you need. We’ve got bands that go around the waist for lateral movements."
Has anyone on the team had any basketball workouts?
Zubac: "A lot of players aren’t doing anything basketball related. It’s forbidden to get in the gym, because they closed down everything. I think only the guys that have their own gyms in the house are doing any basketball-related activities. Most of the players haven’t done any basketball-related workouts."
What if a guy like LeBron has his own basketball court? Does he have a big advantage?
Zubac: "Probably, especially if you live in LA. Houses with courts and gyms are super expensive. Not a lot of players can afford that. I know it sounds crazy to say an NBA player can’t afford that, but that’s how it is in LA. For me, I think it shouldn’t make a difference. All of my shots are dunks or are around the rim. It can definitely make a difference though."
Have you put on any quarantine weight?
Zubac: "No no no. I’m at the same weight. I eat well, workout, and condition every day."
How often are you working out?
Zubac: "I work out at least six days a week. A minimum of one hour during the Zoom workouts. Every day that we’re not doing Zoom workouts, I’m doing conditioning. I go out and run. The Clippers sent us stationary bikes, so I do workouts on the bikes."
Will players get injured if the season resumes without enough prep time?
Zubac: "For sure. It’s already been a month, and we haven’t done anything. When we get back, we’ll probably get some time to practice. We can’t go straight into the season. It’s not smart. It’s not in anyone’s interest to do that. There will probably be some time to work out, practice, and get back in game shape."
What were you doing when the NBA shut down?
Zubac: "I was about to watch that OKC vs Jazz game. We started waiting for a little bit, it was weird. No one knew what was happening. I was following up on Twitter, and they were saying one of the players may have gotten the virus.
Immediately I knew the league was going to shut it down. If it had to happen, it was good that it happened that early. I texted my national team teammate, Bogdanovic in Utah. He said the same thing, that everyone was just stuck in the locker room, waiting for people to text them."
Is it crazy to think about how there were so many cases at Staples Center, but the Clippers avoided it?
Zubac: "Yeah. It’s crazy, our next game was against the Nets. That next game one of us could have gotten infected. It’s good that we shut it down. When it happened, we all stayed in our houses."
Do you believe the NBA is going to return?
Zubac: "I think we’re going to come back."
How would you feel about playing empty arena games?
Zubac: "I don’t know, it’ll definitely be weird. It’s the NBA, arenas almost always sold out. When I played back in Europe, there would be some games with 50-100 people in the crowd, so it would be pretty much empty. An NBA game without people will definitely be weird. That’s the only way to continue the season."
What will Patrick Beverley trash talk be like in an empty arena?
Zubac: "I think people watching on TV will be able to hear everything Bev says. Not just what he says, but what coaches and players say. All the trash talk. That’ll be good for the fans watching on TV."
Would you have to adjust plays?
Zubac: "I don’t think we will need to adjust plays. Every team knows pretty much every other team’s plays. I don’t know, but you’d definitely hear whatever the coach and players are saying. The game will have a different feeling. There will be no feeling of home-court advantage."
What did you think of Pat and Trez's 2K performance?
Zubac: "Honestly I didn’t watch it. I’ve been with Pat every day for about a year now, and I know how he is. I knew as soon as he was in the tournament, it was going to be must-watch tv. He was telling us he was going to win it for sure. Pat was so mad when he lost. He apologized to everyone in the group chat. It was funny."
Did you know Pat was that good at video games?
Zubac: "I think he was in PG’s tournament, and he won it against PG. He was talking trash about that since it happened. Everyone knew Pat was good at 2K, just not THAT good."
Has the famous group chat remained active?
Zubac: "For sure. Everyone is checking in on everyone pretty much every day. We’re still talking. There’s not much stuff about basketball anymore, but people are checking in on each other every day."
The Clippers' mantra during the hiatus has been "win the wait." For Zubac, that means training every single day as if the season was still going to happen. Granted, there are limitations due to the lack of basketball training, but every player is making do with what they've got. The Clipper organization has provided the players with whatever piece of equipment they need. The players are doing their part by training and keeping in touch with each other. This isn't a break for the Clippers, it's a whole new game.
