The depths NBA autograph seekers go for a signature: How do they know?

It’s lunchtime in downtown Oklahoma City on a Wednesday, and three men are sitting outside one of the city’s premier hotels dressed like they just rolled out of bed — hoodies, sweats, basketball shorts and chilling.

There’s “Rob,” 28, “Joe,” 20, and “Mike,” 19. They’re resting on a beautiful cement decor 50 feet from the entrance of a grand, 17-floor structure wrapped in glistening glass the Detroit Pistons are calling home for the day. A teal Jaden Ivey jersey sits on Rob’s lap. Joe’s hands hold a Cade Cunningham jersey. Some random page of Mike’s picture album features six Isaiah Stewart rookie cards.

The Pistons are nearby Paycom Center going through a morning shootaround before that night’s game against the Thunder. Somehow, Rob, Joe and Mike, none of who are Detroit fans, learned of this. As always, they’re just sitting and waiting. Every other day (on average) during the NBA season, whenever one of the 29 NBA teams rolls into their midwest town, these three meet at the same spot in hopes of getting the players’ attention.

Their sole goal? Getting autographs.

“I come out here from two hours away,” said Rob, who, along with every other person interviewed for this story, only agreed to speak to The Athletic if their real name was withheld. “I live in Tulsa. I came yesterday and stayed the night.

“I do this every day that a team is in town.”

In every city, as NBA teams walk in and out of their luxurious hotels, they see dozens of civilians mastering the art of getting autographs. They see more awaiting them at airports. Seekers bring cards, jerseys, basketballs, pictures … you name it. Hotels even prepare for the presence of these autograph hunters. Parts of the sidewalk are roped off whenever an NBA team is walking toward the bus or entering the establishment.

Every city, every hotel. Day or night. Rain or sunshine. They’re always there.

“I don’t know if the bell man tipped them off before social media, but they were always there,” Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said. “At 2 o’clock in the morning, out there with their signs, hats or jerseys. I’ve seen some with kids out there at that time of night, which is unfortunate.”

The players have grown accustomed to the crowds. It’s part of the job. Still, though, they have questions.

“I can never quite put my finger on how they know exactly where we are,” Pistons veteran Cory Joseph said. “The other day, for instance, coming back from Toronto, we landed in Detroit and went through customs. We went through the international tarmac. There were people there asking people for autographs. We landed late. It was like 1:30 a.m. or 2 in the morning. How do they get that information?

“I don’t have a problem with it. It doesn’t bother me,” he continued. “But how did they know we were coming through the international airport, at 2 a.m., instead of the regular airport that we normally come in? Sometimes, leaving Toronto, you go through custom in Toronto, so you land at the regular hangar in Detroit. How did they know we were coming through the international hangar?”

These autograph hunters have sources. Some have relationships with hotel and airport workers in their respective towns. Educated guesses are made. These establishments don’t list their tenants; there wasn’t a sign outside of this particular Oklahoma City hotel that read, “The Pistons are staying here!”

“It’s routine, repetition,” said Mike, who said he has been hunting autographs since he was 12. “In Oklahoma City, there are only so many places teams stay.”

Some communicate with each other, sending text messages whenever they get a tip. Technology has made it easier for these autograph hunters, since a single text can alert a dozen people where to go. They have other tricks, too. A common one is calling a hotel and pretending to be a catering service. “Hello, we’re catering food for (insert NBA team). Have they arrived yet?” Sometimes hotel staffers fall for it.

Back in the day, according to “Nick,” a longtime autograph collector who was outside of the Pistons’ hotel in Houston on Friday, 30 minutes before the first bus was set to leave for Detroit’s game against the Rockets, there was a lot more work involved.

“What people used to do was go to the arena in the morning, when teams were having shootaround, wait, and then follow the bus to the hotel,” Nick said. “I’ve seen guys hop in their cars, chase the bus to the red lights and then get to the side of the bus to try and get an autograph. I’ve never gone that far. That’s too much of an invasion of their privacy.”

In talking to these “collectors,” many of which have been at this for decades, it quickly became apparent the relationship between them and the players has soured over the years. Several autograph hunters admitted there are peers who seek the autographs strictly for financial gain. They’ve watched adults use their children to tug on athletes’ heartstrings just to get a signature. Players have become more cognizant of these tactics and are sometimes reluctant to supply their autograph, though a good majority still end up signing.

“I don’t think it was like that as much before,” said “Mark,” a diehard autograph seeker based in Texas. “Guys are coming out of college and are supposed to be the next star. They have an agency that they’re signed to, so they might not sign as much. They’re a little bit more hesitant on signing. I’m not saying they won’t signing anything at all, but I have noticed that it feels like some players are like, ‘Oh, this guy or this guy might be trying to make money off of my signature and isn’t really a fan.'”

Each and every one of the 10 people The Athletic interviewed for this story said they were personal collectors, not resellers. It’s impossible to fully verify those claims, but there were some signs that not everyone was truthful. For instance, “Tom” in Houston, a self-described Rockets fan, was dripped head to toe in Astros gear as he ripped open a brand-new Spalding basketball he bought moments earlier and pulled out a Sharpie marker while waiting for the Pistons’ team bus.

“I’d like to get Cade and Jaden to sign this,” he said when asked whose autograph he wanted, referring to Detroit’s two most popular players.

28-year-old “Rob” in Oklahoma City, who admitted to standing outside hotels every other day and was carrying Ivey’s jersey this time, said he simply loves the NBA at large.

“I’ve got a tub of jerseys — about this high — in my closet,” he said. “All different players and teams.”

Regardless, autograph seeking is a hustle old as the league itself, and the world runs deep. It’s “an age-old profession,” Casey said, before correcting himself to note that “I don’t know if it’s a profession.”

“It’s always been there, and I don’t know if it’s going to change,” Casey said. “It’s a good thing, but it’s a bad thing at the same time … that you’re out there that late at night. I encourage our guys in the afternoon or daytime, if they’re out there, go sign. They’re fans. But 2:30 in the morning? That’s a little bit different.”

As long as “fan” is short for fanatic, it won’t go away.

(Top photo courtesy the Detroit Pistons)

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