Even NBA benchwarmers are ungodly basketball players.
Even NBA benchwarmers are ungodly basketball players
Brian Scalabrine was a punchline for most of his NBA career. He averaged all of 3.1 points per game as an end-of-the-rotation guy. His modest stats and goofy appearance earned him the nickname “White Mamba.” But make no mistake: even at 43, he’s still one of the most elite basketball players on the planet, as one unfortunate high schooler learned recently.
A video posted on TikTok shows a high school hooper who ran into Scalabrine at a gym challenging the former second-round pick to a game of one-on-one. Bad idea. Scalabrine won 11–0.
That kid is probably a pretty good high school basketball player. He doesn’t look that much shorter than the 6' 9" Scalabrine and played good enough defense to actually block a pair of shots (even though he totally mugged Scalabrine). He must have thought that a guy who scored a grand total of 32 points in his final NBA season nine years ago wouldn’t be able to completely embarrass him.
The video is a reminder of just how much better pro athletes are than regular Joes. Scalabrine was not a good NBA player. Considering that he played 11 years in the league, it might not be fair to call him a bad NBA player, but he was certainly one of the least productive players in the league during his career. But even almost a decade removed from his last NBA season, he’s still capable of schooling (almost) any person who hasn’t played at least college basketball. Don’t be fooled by the red hair and the fact that he tucked his hoodie into his sweatpants.
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