LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers signals to teammates after making a three-point in Chicago.
The celebration, in which players make a circle around their eyes and raise the remaining three fingers, is similar to an insulting gesture in Brazil.
“It’s becoming real popular to
celebrate after you hit three points,” 22-year-old Heat rookie guard Tyler Johnson said after practicing three-pointers “Things mean different things in different places. That just means three points out in the States.”
Also tomorrow, the National Basketball Association champion San Antonio Spurs play a preseason game in Istanbul, a day before the Brooklyn Nets take on the Sacramento Kings in Shanghai. The five Global Games, an effort to promote the NBA outside of the U.S., also include exhibitions in Berlin and Beijing.
As well as being told to avoid the “three goggles” display, LeBron James, his Cavaliers teammates and players from his former team Miami have been briefed on Brazil’s currency, its telephone codes and have been given other travel tips.
“The biggest adjustment is the language barrier and trying to communicate with other people,” said Johnson. “A lot of us don’t speak Portuguese and a lot of native Brazilians don’t speak English.”
Cultural Awareness
Shabazz Napier, another rookie guard with Heat, said the NBA’s advice was useful.“One thing that we celebrate back in the States could be different somewhere else so we got be aware of that,” Napier said in an interview.
Napier had more contact with local fans than most of his teammates after being selected to run drills with children bussed in from a nearby slum.
Heat forward Chris Bosh said it won’t be a problem for him to avoid the goggles gesture.
“I don’t like 3-point celebrations because it’s just one shot,” he said. “If you got to celebrate every time then it’s a long time.”
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