It's natural to expect hygiene to be a priority for players. After all, like any sport, locker rooms have showers where they can clean themselves after multiple hours of sweating on the court.
However, some players don't maintain good hygiene after games. Markieff Morris learned this the hard way, revealing that he has encountered players during his long career who treat basic hygiene as optional.
Morris played 14 years in the league and had stints with eight different teams. He has seen it all in locker rooms, from winning and losing to physical fights. However, some of the most unforgettable moments he witnessed included hygiene.
Morris explained that, despite hygiene being an unwritten rule in the league, some players just don't take the time and effort to do it, including refusing to shower after games and even to use deodorant.
"Not wanting to shower, that s — t happens a lot," he said .
"I had an incident when I was in Phoenix with a rookie who said, 'I don't use deodorant," he continued. "I was like 'Whoa, whoa, whoa; what the f — k do you mean you don't use deodorant?'"
For decades, the league's social hierarchy has been guided by veterans, and Morris, at the end of his career, is one of the most recognizable. Part of their role has been to teach younger players the unwritten rules, which include hygiene.
For Morris, poor hygiene is one of the biggest issues a player can have, not just because it affects his teammates, but also because of how the rest of the league may perceive him.
"You've gotta respect other players. Hygiene is one of the most important things in our profession," Morris explained. "It's uncomfortable guarding somebody that stinks"
"That's why I had to explain him, 'Like, bro, you smell so it's uncomfortable for us to be around you smelling like that," he added.
Despite the negativity around bad hygiene, there is still an argument that it can help on the court, and defenders might not really want to defend a player because of it. Many notable players in the league's history have become notorious for bad odor, including some former European players and others like Adam Morrison and Ronny Turiaf.
Still, whatever advantage bad hygiene might provide on the court, it can create plenty of problems off it. Professionalism matters in sports, and how players present themselves can affect the opportunities they receive.
Morris is just one of the many who have taken steps to teach good hygiene in the league. However, the problem will likely persist because, despite it being an unwritten rule, some players just don't care enough to look after themselves.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
