Fred Hoiberg has a medical reason for not wearing a tie during games

I’m a fan of coaches who don’t wear ties, but there’s a medical reason linked to your heart surgeries why you’ve ditched it, right?

That’s why I stopped wearing it last year. I got a little light-headed with it on. The valve in my heart was in really bad condition last year, so that was a big part of it. But not wearing a tie was just so much more comfortable for me. I feel it every time my heart beats. Every time. Since the very first surgery, I feel every beat. For me, it’s a comfort thing. I’ve talked to my doctors about it, and they said they are more comfortable with me not wearing a tie.

Like, it could be an issue that doesn’t go away.

Yeah, as the games go on, I can feel every beat more and more. It’s either that, or I look like Jim Calhoun with the knot of my tie hanging way down at the middle of my chest.

That haggard look is a good one, though. “This game is killing me!”

Yup. Exactly. Maybe I’ll grow a beard and do that.

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