NBA player reveals why his teammates forced him to get an iPhone

If you’re debating between a brand new iPhone or a flagship Android device from Google or Samsung, you can’t go wrong with either. Put simply, the gap between the iPhone and top-tier Android devices has narrowed considerably in recent years.

Still, one of the longstanding lures of the iPhone remains iMessage. While iMessage allows users to connect to the Apple ecosystem as a whole — and text from their iPad or Mac — it also allows users to appear in chats as a beloved blue bubble.

We’re not going to get into a big debate over blue bubbles vs green bubbles and the whole platform lock-in. Suffice it to say, iPhone users can sometimes grow frustrated when there’s an Android user in the group chat.

It sounds bizarre and admittedly condescending, but that’s the peculiar way in which the texting landscape has evolved over the years. And sometimes, that prompts people to make the Android to iPhone switch.

NBA player pressured to make the Android to iPhone switch

In a recent post from FadeawayWorld, we learn that newly minted Cleveland Cavaliers big man Jarett Allen was playfully forced — or perhaps pressured is more apt — to get an iPhone.

The story first came to light via The Hoop Collective Podcast. A long-time Android user, Allen explained that he wasn’t allowed to be part of the team’s group chat because they didn’t want Allen’s green bubbles ruining their chat.

It’s not as if having an Android really ruins a group chat in a meaningful way. But it does create some headaches anytime an iPhone user uses the Tapback feature when texting. And, I suppose the green bubbles do tend to tarnish the aesthetic ever so slightly.

Despite being an NBA All-Star this year, Allen is still new to the Cavs. It’s therefore likely he didn’t have much leverage to stand his ground. And so, with friendly pressure from his teammates mounting, Allen bit the bullet and purchased an iPhone.

Now if we’re being honest, if the Cavs players were truly serious about a full-featured group chat, they wouldn’t care about the Android to iPhone switch. Instead, they would make their way over to WhatsApp which is still the best chat platform for large group chats.

Incidentally, the Android to iPhone saga above reminds me of another NBA story involving Apple. Back in 2015, Lebron James — who is a Samsung spokesman, mind you — decided to give his teammates smartwatches as a token of appreciation.

Interestingly enough, James gave his teammates Apple Watches as opposed to something from Samsung.