In this informal vlog, Elijah Bryant gives viewers a behind‑the‑scenes look at a EuroLeague home game played in Israel during a strict COVID‑19 lockdown. He explains how the pandemic has forced games to be held without fans, describing the strange atmosphere and the emotional impact of missing the home crowd at "The Gate." Bryant also shares personal challenges: the discomfort of wearing masks, the burden of testing every two days, and a brief anecdote about a recent car accident. He mentions the upcoming opponent, Fenerbahçe, and teammate Johnny Hamilton, while interspersing light‑hearted banter with his co‑host. The core message is a motivational call to focus on what can be controlled, encouraging teammates and fans to stay resilient and improve each day despite the unprecedented circumstances.
Chapters
We miss you, the gate, very, very, very much.
There he goes again, Elijah Bryant, dazzling dribble dancing. Why did you fart?
That was my armpit.
No, it was not. I promise.
What's up guys, welcome back to the vlog. If you're new here, I'm Elijah Bryant. I do basketball videos, everything including basketball on and off the court, and maybe some technology one day. So today is a home EuroLeague game, but what I wanted to talk about is Playing games with no fans or family is actually extremely difficult.
Again, take your seat and gently close your eyes. We're playing with no fans because of the coronavirus.
Especially here in Israel. It's on serious, serious lockdown. Israel has become the first country to announce a second national lockdown to combat the coronavirus. This comes after a surge in new infections. I know, I know, I understand the corona is a very serious pandemic, but without fans still sucks. Not only without fans, but getting Corona tested every other 2 days isn't the best either. And today we play Fenerbahçe. Out of Istanbul, Turkey. Fenerbahçe is a great team. Actually, one of my friends on the team, Johnny Hamilton. So look forward to the game. My guy, what's good? Are you good? How you doing? Good to see you, man.
Good. I'm good. Yeah, work it, JoJo. I love you.
I'm so over this mask thing. You can't breathe, and when you are breathing, you're just breathing your hot breath in. Oh, side note, I got in a car accident. That's a story for another day. I'll explain it real quick. So basically, if you're in Israel, you know that people in Israel cannot drive, or if they think they can drive, they're really aggressive. So I was veering over to the left lane and I was in front of this guy, and the trucker just came and just—
mm—
my mirror. I'm gonna show you a picture of the guy after he hit me, and he came out of the car like, like that. Exactly. That picture explains everything. We miss you, The Gate, very, very, very much. This is home to the best fans in the world, and I'm really not just saying that because I play here, but actually these are probably the best fans I've ever played in front of.
We miss you guys.
Another day, another Roni. Another day, another Roni. What up, Judd? You get a— what's up with your hair? Looks different. Pick it out. Pick this shit out.
Part of being nappy.
Have fun, Chris. Who you got next? Damn, we on the bars early. Who you got next? Playing with my phone like a dumbass. What are we listening to?
What are we listening to? Shalom. 98% recovery on the WOOP.
This is the kind of stuff I do. You get the gun in your butt cheeks.
Whatever it takes. I forgot my key.
Oh, never mind.
Thank you.
All right, so back to what I was saying about no fans. So not all teams are allowed to have no fans in the EuroLeague, but we are one of those teams. And being one of those teams, we can make that as an excuse, or we could just go out there and play. So what do you think about not having any fans, Jill?
Ew, did I just step in peanut butter?
Well, yeah, that's what she thinks about not having any fans. What do you think about not having any fans, Bubba? Bubba, you can't even come to the game either. So I feel like in life you can have two choices. You can either make an excuse or you can control what you can control. And I think our team Me and I and everyone around the team organization has been doing a great job of controlling what we can control and continue to push forward during this crazy time. And really, this has never happened before. So yeah, so my message to you guys is to work on controlling what you can control and to be better each and every single day.
One St. Club. I'm deeply saddened not being able to play this year. Cue the filter of rain behind me.
