The millionaire NBA stars will arrive for the Rio Olympics tomorrow to take up residence in this luxury cruise ship and have to negotiate their way through a building site.
The Olympic superstars’ boat is moored on the Port of Rio, which is surrounded by workmen drilling, digging and putting the finishing touches to the area immediately in front of the 196-cabin boat.
When players like Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Kyrie Irving look out of their specially adapted cabins to the port they will view teams of construction workers in hard hats racing against time to complete their work.
But the luxury cruise ship is a far cry from the humble digs their fellow NBA basketballer Andrew Bogut, from Australia, is staying in.
Bogut, who plays for the Dallas Mavericks and was named Australia’s richest sport star last year with earnings of $16 million, posted a photo of himself putting together his own shower curtain at the athletes’ village in Rio.
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Lap of luxury: Instead of the athletes’ village, this is the luxury cruise liner where the NBA’s stars playing for Team USA will stay. It is moored in the Port of Rio and watched round the clock by police from sea and land
Under guard: A bulletproof glass fence has been built and given an extra layer of security to keep intruders at bay
Armed guard: The Silver Cloud is being kept under surveillance by scores of heavily armed police and Brazilian marines
Where would you rather be? The top deck pool and hot tub are among the facilities on offer to the NBA stars – and unlike those at the athletes’ village, they do not have to share them
On their way to Rio: The 2016 Team USA basketball side including stars Kyrie Irving (left), Carmelo Anthony (center) and Kevin Durant (right) will arrive in the Olympics city Wednesday
Ready for the players: The cruise liner has had its normal beds (pictured) removed and seven foot ones installed
Rooms with a view: The cruise liner boasts a wrap-around open deck for enjoying the sunshine between training sessions
‘Putting together a shower curtain so we can shower and not flood the place,’ he wrote alongside an image of him attaching hooks to a plastic sheet with the hashtag ‘IOC Luxury Lodging’.
But the Australian Olympic Team’s chef de mission Kitty Chiller made light of the 31-year-old athlete’s tongue-in-cheek complaints.
‘I think he’s the best man to fix the shower curtain because he’s exactly the right height, and I’m going to call on him to come to my room straight after this press conference,’ she said.
There were also concerns from athletes regarding the lengths of their beds but Ms Chiller reassured people seven-foot center Bogut would be sleeping comfortably.
‘He’s got a big bed. He has a lovely mosquito net over it as well. He’s like a princess in his bed,’ she said.
As athletes settle into their new home for the next few weeks, several cranes where construction work is going on obscures the view across the cove on the west shore of Guanabara Bay.
The road into the port where the US team’s nine-deck ship is moored has been dug up to be re-laid, but in common with many of the Olympic venues, work has been left to the last minute.
But the ship will afford the NBA men and women players the type of security that they would expect and will be closed off to the public.
The only entrance is through an airport style scanner which is manned by Port Maua staff, backed up by security guards.
On the water police circle the ship on gun boats with marksmen equipped with automatic rifles.
The moored ship is surrounded by a bullet proof glass fence and 250 federal police officers are on alert keeping a watchful eye.
‘Nobody can get near the boat without invitation’ said one security official.
The basketball teams will fly into Rio tomorrow and be bussed directly to their boat through the construction site which is surrounded by disused buildings adorned with murals.
Bit of a contrast: While the NBA players of Team USA enjoy their seven foot beds, these are the sleeping facilities for ordinary contestants in the athletes’ village
Sharing: Unlike other NBA stars Matthew Dellavedova (right) is sleeping two to a room, with his Australian teammate Ryan Broekhoff. Dellavedova won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers and was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks
Come and say hi: Golden State Warrior Andrew Bogut has taken aim at the Rio accommodation with this photograph of him creating his own shower curtain. His fellow NBA millionaires are all on a cruise liner but he is in the Olympic village
Where’s the spa? Unlike on board the basketball players’ cruise liner, athletes in the village have communal areas inside and outside for relaxation
Living together: The village’s buildings are divided between teams with the flags and names of the countries marking each block which their teams use, including (from left) Argentina; Australia; Armenia, Andorra and Ukraine; Germany; and Hungary and Poland
Mingling area: The communal areas of the Olympic village are designed for athletes to come together – but the NBA stars are not going there because, team bosses fear, they would be mobbed for selfies and autographs
Problem after problem: The athletes’ village has been hit by disclosures of shoddy workmanship. Last week it was still not finished and a series of teams have complained about (left) exposed wiring and (right) unfinished rooms
They have been invited to attend Thursday’s formal welcoming party at the athletes’ village where the majority of Team USA will be ensconced.
There the rest of America’s gold medal hopeful will have to make do with twin bedded rooms, communal meals, a gaming arcade and the athletes’ post office to keep themselves busy.
Some athletes in the official village have complained about exposed wiring and leaking and there is a gut wrenching stench from nearby canals contaminated by raw sewage.
Despite the dust and noise form the works on the port, the basketball stars will have the red carpet treatment.
This will include their own chefs, concierge services on hand and a fleet of cars to ferry them under armed guard around Rio and to training courts.
Some of the lofty players stand almost 7ft tall and extended beds have been installed to allow them to sleep comfortably.
Anti-Zika sprays and lotions will be on hand and mosquito nets, should they be required, will be available.
Room to relax: On board the Silver Cloud, the NBA’s elite players – although not its biggest star LeBron James – can make use of all the facilities, which include a library
Gambling on winning: If they need to blow off steam, the Silver Cloud also has a casino where they can stake some of their multi-million earnings from the NBA – although it is not clear if that is included in the charter
Plenty of space to stretch out: The players and their entourage are occupying a cruise liner with room for almost 300 and are sharing only with staff from Cisco systems, the IT firm
No shared showers: Suites on the liner normally go for as much as $13,000 a week – and unlike the shared rooms in the athletes’ village, big names like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will have their own spaces
Need to relax? The Silver Stream comes with an on board spa. The entire ship is home only to the basketball stars, their trainers and other staff, and staff from Cisco systems, the IT firm
Brazilian police watch over the luxury liner
Normally, a cabin can cost around $13,000-a-week, but the entire ship, which has a 514ft length, has been commissioned by IT firm Cisco who will have staff on board along with the basketball Olympics personnel.
The boat is owned by Italian firm Silversea and its website states: ‘Spacious yet intimate, designed to cross oceans and yet able to slip up rivers and into hidden harbors with ease, the yacht-like Silver Cloud carries just 296 guests in incomparable comfort and style.
‘Combining spacious ocean-view suites and private verandas with stunning dining and entertainment options, our inaugural ship launched a new ocean standard and continues to epitomize Silversea’s vision of world-class cruise accommodations, service and amenities.’
It has a 71ft beam, can travel at the speed of 18 knots (20.7mph) and has capacity for 296 passengers.
Singalong: Members of team USA shared videos of them having a sing along to Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles on a plane, after their final warm-up game against Nigeria on Monday. The singalong appears to be led byCleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (left and far right), 24, and Chicago Bulls player Jimmy Butler (second from left and second from right), 26
Playing away: New videos posted to Instagram see the US men’s Olympic basketball team singing along to Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles – but Carmelo Anthony was not seeing the funny side
Still not finished: In common with much of Rio, the port area is still a construction site even though the Games start on Saturday
Unfinished business: These are the sights which will greet the NBA stars when they arrive at the liner on Wednesday
But the official told Daily Mail Online: ‘The boat is not going to be going anywhere until the games are over and the players have gone.
‘There will be the best security for them. They do not need to be disturbed as they are here to win medals and compete.
‘If they stayed in the athletes’ village, they might be troubled for autographs even from the athletes and media.
‘That would not be fair to them. They are very accommodating to fans when they can, but these are the Olympics.’
America’s men team is widely expected to bring home gold, having won five of the last six Olympic titles, but the squad is having to make do without top player LeBron James, who decided not to put himself forward for selection.
The team completed its pre-Olympics schedule with a 110-66 win over Nigeria on Monday night and is now packing its bags for Rio.
Although the building work has yet to be completed, much of the port had been revitalized and giant screens will bring the games live to fans and music will be played on a nearby bandstand.
After Rio, the boat will set sail for Europe and visit Lisbon, Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Athens.
