What if ... NBA players had Delta status?
NBA Teams Will Fly Over 1.2m Miles This Season
The NBA schedule was released last week, and while I generally agree with Seth Partnow that the schedule doesn’t really matter in an 82-game-a-year league, it is important to keep in mind throughout the season that the schedule can impact results.
HoopsHype already looked at each teams’ opponent strength by season segment, to remind us that, for example, we shouldn’t overreact to the Timberwolves putting together a winning streak in the first half of November when six in seven games are against the Hornets, Nets, Jazz, and Kings.
There’s also been a lot of social media banter about certain teams (i.e., the Nuggets) getting screwed with back-to-backs,1 and other teams (i.e., the Thunder) getting a break. But in practice the Thunder have just three fewer back-to-back games than the Nuggets, and anyway, the Nuggets were 12-4 last season in those games with zero days of rest. The Joker “just did what he does best … took [the NBA’s] little plan and turned it on itself."
The other aspect of scheduling that seems like it should have an impact is the actual time spent traveling. Maybe it’s because I never feel great getting off a plane myself, but I have to think racking up more miles in the air than your opponent puts you at a disadvantage.
In the worst case scenario, travel can force players to miss games.2 “Long sedentary rests on flights aren’t ideal for seven-footers who need to pump blood throughout their limbs” said Chris Bosh, a former NBA All-Star whose career was cut short by blood clots. Last season, the Spurs traveled over 37,000 miles by plane before the All-Star break, most in the league. Shortly after, Victor Wembanyama was diagnosed with blood clots and missed the remainder of the season.3
Even without injuries, spending more time traveling seems to have a slight negative impact on a team’s winning percentage. The results are somewhat mixed, but there is some evidence over the last three seasons, that when teams don’t travel much in a given month, their winning percentage goes up compared to their season long average. Conversely, in the months when they are traveling the most, their winning percentage drops. Of course, there is the impact of playing at home vs on the road to factor in as well.
So, which teams are set to travel the farthest this season?
The Magic are staring down over 53,000 miles in a plane - that’s 2x around the world! Part of that is driven by a round trip to Europe, where they will play a pair of games against the Grizzlies in Berlin and London. In this case both teams will have just gotten off the trans-Atlantic flight, and the NBA was nice enough to give each team three days to settle in and try some German beer.
Interestingly, it doesn’t seem like the NBA schedule puppet masters always consider rest days alongside travel. Last season, they made the Suns fly home the 1,300 miles from Minnesota to Phoenix for a game against the Magic the very next day. The Suns lost by 10.
More broadly, it appears that the more back-to-back games a team has in a given month, the further they have to travel. Sure months with more back-to-backs likely have more games overall, but the teams still have to make the physical journey and you might expect the NBA to account for that.
After the Magic, the other teams at the top of the travel leaderboard include the Trailblazers (50k miles), Heat (47k), and Warriors (47k). These teams are all extremely coastal, which makes their average domestic trip longer than, say the average trip from Indianapolis; the Pacers will only be traveling 35k miles, the fewest of any team thanks to their central location.
Being on the periphery of the US also contributes to the Orlando Magic’s grueling flight map. Their trip to Portland takes them 2,526 miles alone:
This map is interactive! Click the link to explore the Magic’s crazy 6-months of flights.
Of course, Paolo Banchero won’t be traveling like you or I would on these flights. (If you are traveling like Paolo Banchero, consider pledging to this newsletter):
Instead, NBA players skip TSA lines and travel in style with team chartered planes. But what if they had to pay their own way. Imagine the points!
Just kidding, you don’t have to imagine, of course I ran the numbers. Surprisingly, traveling around the world twice in Economy class gets you just $2,580 in Delta credits.4 But the Magic players would all have Diamond Medallion status, meaning free checked bags, priority Zone 2 boarding, and four drink vouchers per flight. Oh, the perks of living the NBA life.
I’m joking of course, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up the fact that the WNBA just instituted charted flights last season. Prior to 2024, WNBA players did face the reality of having to fly in tight commercial seats, then speed from the airport to get ready for games. Hopefully they at least got the points …
This is all a reminder that professional athletes are in incredible physical shape. As fans we often take for granted that the players will give their all every night, and bemoan load management. Sure every generation of players has endured this same grueling schedule, and I hate it when my favorite player sits as much as the next fan, but it’s worth appreciating what goes into getting to the game for tipoff. It’s more than moving from the desk to the couch, and even that sometimes seems like a big effort.
Here is the full set of travel distances in the NBA for the upcoming season. That’s 1,285,372 miles total for those keeping track at home, enough to send a starting five to the moon on five different flights.
Two games in two days.
Not just because they occasionally miss their flight.
Wemby’s blood clot was in his shoulder, not in his legs like Bosh’s, so was more likely due to repetitive movement than travel alone, but go with me here.
In case you are curious: Delta’s highest status (Diamond Medallion) gives 11 points per mile. Reddit estimates the average Delta trip costs $308 per 1000 miles. So the Magic’s 53k miles traveled translates to ~$16k spent and 180k SkyMiles earned. But Diamond Medallion members also get 35k bonus miles, so 215k total. Finally, NerdWallet estimates a SkyMile is worth 1.2 cents.