The USA Basketball men’s team gathered for a four-day camp in Las Vegas over the holiday weekend. The team practiced together and ticked off a number of other clerical activities like signing autographs and taking pictures for promotional materials. During individual photo shoots the NBA happened upon some incredibly amusing content by asking players if they can spin a basketball on their finger.
The video starts out with an immediate surprise, even if this is not a subject you’ve ever considered for a second in your life. From there it’s a mix of shock and shame as anyone who can can’t believe that everyone else cannot. And anyone who can’t is a little sheepish about the whole thing.
Who knew that spinning a basketball on your finger had nothing to do with how good you are at basketball? You’ve got two of the greatest players ever who can’t do it in Stephen Curry and LeBron James, with Curry being the most surprising since he’s an incredible ballhandler who puts on a show for fans before games. If you were going to draft players to join the Harlem Globetrotters, Cury would be high on the list. Now? He might as well be a Washington General.
Jrue Holiday is far and away the best at it, with Devin Booker also showing himself to be adept at the trick. However, the star of the video is Kevin Durant who can of course balance a spinning ball on his finger and offers up absolute disgust when he hears that Tyrese Haliburton, a point guard can’t do it.
Haliburton also disappointed Bam Adebayo who simply shook his head and muttered, “Gen Z.” Which is especially amusing when you learn that Adebayo was born in 1997 which will make him an Elder Zoomer when people start throwing that term around in a few years when people like him start turning 30.
Hats off to the social media team for putting this one together. Just an incredible 80 seconds of content. Who knew spinning a basketball on your finger had nothing to do with being good at basketball?
