When NBA players play regular people

[crossovernegro]

I have mentioned this before on here, but I used to work at Bell Labs and we had a work league. I was 19-22 when I played and although I couldn't shoot, I could jump out the gym, score inside, block, great defense...
There were a few guys that played college ball at MIT and believe it or not, those MS and PHD having nerds could play their asses off. ...couple D1 washouts also Killin it and one guy who made it as far as getting a chance to get a look by the Lakers (played at Alleghaney state or some shit) and he was one of the best I ever played against. but there was this 40ish big Wes unseld build having white dude had played cba ball and that mufucka was unstoppable. Shit wasn't fair. Bad knees and all, had long arms, wide body and a insanely quick release. Made a fool out of me....I just stopped trying to block his shit

Even a 12th man in the league will bust a regular hoopers ass

 

[Mack1052]

Candice shooting ability would definitely have me on my toes.

In my prime, I don't know how I would do against HER.

Plus I never played women with the same intensity as men. At least physically wise.

In fairness Parker is an all-timer. She would give anybody fits

 

[LSN]

http://www.bgol.us/forum/index.php?...ses-black-genius-especially-in-sports.939854/​

interesting...they try to limit “genius” to certain positions...ie PGs in the NBA...QBs in the NFL...pitchers in MLB

 

[LSN]

Denzel played D1 ball...

did not know that!

 

[OnSlaught]

But what I’m saying is dude I quoted said that the average person playing pickup thinks the only thing keeping them from the league is 6 inches in height. I’m like if they are 6’5 they might be right cuz at 6’11 you are at least getting a look in the league or balling overseas for sure off height alone. Don’t be reasonably coordinated you will at least be on someone’s bench somewhere

Shit, you don't know how many times I've said that.

I'd be fucking Anthony Davis!

I'm 6'5.5, 6'6 in shoes. At my university we had 7 players around my damn height on my team, ranging from 6'3 to 6'8. My coach (the coach I originally did not commit to) wanted to play small ball, so he kept recruiting combo guards and stretch wings that were athletic and long.

This shit hurt us when we went up against the big boys (ACC and Big East powerhouses).

If you go up against an athletic big it's a fucking sight to behold.

I won't name any specific names (you'll figure me out if I do) but had a teammate play power forward, win all-american honors, only to become a mediocre talent in the league as a wing.

Them 6 inches matter brah...

 

[OnSlaught]

NBA ballers are the best athletes PERIOD!!

Even more fascinating to me is seeing lil cats like AI, CP3 dominate being relatively smaller than the vast majority.
I cant help but imagine how really reaaalllly REALLLYY good they have to be to even make an NBA roster nevermind excelling at it.

I find myself wondering what bodily components they have that I dont , or know how to utilize. Is it faster muscle fibers, bionic eyes, faster brain processing, etc..??? Do they be using that extra 90% of they brains most humans dont?? WHAT THE FUCK IS IT GOTDAMIT??????

Its simply unfair having one human be so much more talented than another, given the same size & build.

I've pondered this shit for a good chunk of my adult life,I still havent cracked the code

True dat. But Mugsy, Boykins ,etc.. arent as "special" to me. Cus they games are predominantly based on speed & quickness. Given their small size, you suppose to be that, since thats all your bringing to the table. Once their speed is gone, holding a roster spot becomes harder for them.

But cats like AI, CP3 tho?? those are EXTREMELY talented guys. the hand-eye coordination is UNREAL, burst of speed, etc. I mean, a chubby bordering on fat dude like CP3 should never be as quick & adept as he is.

Yo I seen AI in person and his arms extend to his knees standing upright like a fucking oragutang. Dude gave me dap and his hands literally engulfed mine, I felt like a fuckin child And my hands aint small either. I'm sure dem abnormalities counts for something on the court

Also AI soaking wet at 160 lbs had legitimate claim as the league's"Ironman" for a majority of his career. that's simply unexplainable man

A.I. is a great example. As I said in a previous post, it's the matter of being able to put it all together.

It's funny, when I think back as a kid, I met Glen Rice through my step brother. I think I was 15 or 16, and he had smaller hands than me.

At the time I was about 6'2 and still had about 3 1/2 more inches to grow, so seeing a dude that was 6'7, I thought how the hell are his feet and hands smaller than mine.

It wasn't until later that I found out in watching a documentary of his that his smaller hands are what actually made him a great shooter. He wasn't a great ball handler, and he had hops but could only dunk it with 2 hands for that same reason.

It just goes to show you the freakish combination of genetic/physical attributes that make great athletes.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I've met Rondo and his fucking hands are ginormous with long ass arms, and
He's only like 6'2 with a wing span of 6'11 and hands the same size as K. LEONARD!

 

[Mack1052]

did not know that!

Yup at Fordham

 

[TheFuser]

Depends on how tall they are tho lol

Like if they are 6’5 that might be valid

Man, I know some 6'11 bums who never cracked the league and didn't do much overseas

 

[Better]

I have mentioned this before on here, but I used to work at Bell Labs and we had a work league. I was 19-22 when I played and although I couldn't shoot, I could jump out the gym, score inside, block, great defense...
There were a few guys that played college ball at MIT and believe it or not, those MS and PHD having nerds could play their asses off. ...couple D1 washouts also Killin it and one guy who made it as far as getting a chance to get a look by the Lakers (played at Alleghaney state or some shit) and he was one of the best I ever played against. but there was this 40ish big Wes unseld build having white dude had played cba ball and that mufucka was unstoppable. Shit wasn't fair. Bad knees and all, had long arms, wide body and a insanely quick release. Made a fool out of me....I just stopped trying to block his shit

Based on my experiences, I don't believe you give NBA players their proper credit until you face/see a non-NBA pro. I've seen D- league scrubs give nice, regular niggas pure and utter humiliation. I can only imagine seeing a real impact player ramp up the effort, let alone an All-Star.

 

[Better]

On a slightly related note, I got to hang out with Bill Dickens (The Buddha of Bass) when he was doing clinics for the Peavey Cirrus bass. I watched him warming up and was like . When I got home, I asked my wife what would be a fair price to ask for my basses. Shit, after watching Larry Graham solo at a Graham Central Station concert, I actually listed my basses for 2 days, before my mentor hit me with a . I had been playing for about 7 months at the time.

Now this is a subject I can speak on with authority.

I thought I was the SHIT on drums and keys.

It's 1999 or 2000.

Two musicians showed me, in person, that aliens live among us.

The drummer was was a godbeast named Dennis Chambers. I was in Charlotte and he in there with some jazz fusion artist. Dennis was at a local music shop and was about to play when I walked in. Keep in mind, this is my first exposure to elite musicianship. What took place would be like thinking you're one of the best at bball, then playing 1 on 1 against MJ. Dennis is that highly regarded. If he ain't MJ of the drums, he damn sure Kobe. Either way, you're so outclassed, that the difference between the two of them is irrelevant.

Bruh.

No exaggerating, that shit was life altering. Everything I thought I knew about drums was a lie. I didn't play for maybe two years after that.

The pianist was the legendary Ramsey Lewis. Jesus Christ, man. All I can say is, from my perspective, this dude wasn't playing the piano so much as he was working miracles.

 

[woodchuck]

The drummer was was a godbeast named Dennis Chambers.

You didn't know about Chambers at the time? That's a fucked up way to get introduced to him! Michael Manring was doing a bass clinic at Guitar Center, and during the Q&A part, he was answering this guy's question and carrying on a casual convo while playing Coltrane's sax solo from "Giant Steps" on his bass. Shit was uncalled for! I then raised my hand and asked him: "Are there many like you on your planet?"

 

[Better]

You didn't know about Chambers at the time? That's a fucked up way to get introduced to him! Michael Manring was doing a bass clinic at Guitar Center, and during the Q&A part, he was answering this guy's question and carrying on a casual convo while playing Coltrane's sax solo from "Giant Steps" on his bass. Shit was uncalled for! I then raised my hand and asked him: "Are there many like you on your planet?"

...and, bruh...low-key, you can find some A++ musicians with nothing more than local fame. For whatever reasons, they don't tour or do pro session work, but they can sit in for anybody.

...oh, and yeah - prior to Dennis, I hadn't heard of anyone close to that good. It'd be like , I was an average high school player, with no scholarship offers, and the best player I knew was around Derek Fisher level. Waaay better than me, but compare fish to Lebron. Lolololol.

I was not prepared.

 

[woodchuck]

There were a few guys that played college ball at MIT and believe it or not, those MS and PHD having nerds could play their asses off. ...couple D1 washouts also Killin it and one guy who made it as far as getting a chance to get a look by the Lakers (played at Alleghaney state or some shit) and he was one of the best I ever played against. but there was this 40ish big Wes unseld build having white dude had played cba ball and that mufucka was unstoppable. Shit wasn't fair. Bad knees and all, had long arms, wide body and a insanely quick release. Made a fool out of me....I just stopped trying to block his shit

Retired Braves pitcher John Brizzolara used to hoop at this gym I used to go to, and that old tall ass cac could hoop. In between games, I said "Brizz, what the hell, man?! You supposed to be a baseball player, not a hooper!", and he said he dabbled in hoops in college. I told him it looked like he did more than just "dabble", and he said, "Hell, I was alright I guess." World class athletes are just on another level that we can't comprehend sometimes.

 

[Texas Catdaddy]

You didn't know about Chambers at the time? That's a fucked up way to get introduced to him! Michael Manring was doing a bass clinic at Guitar Center, and during the Q&A part, he was answering this guy's question and carrying on a casual convo while playing Coltrane's sax solo from "Giant Steps" on his bass. Shit was uncalled for! I then raised my hand and asked him: "Are there many like you on your planet?"

 

[crossovernegro]

yeah very very true

Retired Braves pitcher John Brizzolara used to hoop at this gym I used to go to, and that old tall ass cac could hoop. In between games, I said "Brizz, what the hell, man?! You supposed to be a baseball player, not a hooper!", and he said he dabbled in hoops in college. I told him it looked like he did more than just "dabble", and he said, "Hell, I was alright I guess." World class athletes are just on another level that we can't comprehend sometimes.

 

[crossovernegro]

that's a good question. The height part is key, although that's not to say a smaller WNBAer couldn't do well. Like at my best I don't think I could beat like Dawn Staley or Diane Taurasi even though they're way shorter than me. ...but like Candace Parker is my height and her arms are probably longer than mine. She'd make a fool out of me unless there were no rules and I manhandled her.

Although I'd have to think she could beat me, I would like to try my luck against Rebecca Lobo. she's my height, but her game never impressed me much. It seemed like her whole game was that she was tall and lanky and could catch balls over other women's head, keep it up there and go right back up with the shot. I at least think I could do better against that than against someone like Candace, Dawn or Diane. Rebecca didn't have handle. She had some nice pivot moves though, and that shit is probably what would get me because I'm sure those moves are a lot quicker in person than they look on tv.

There was this white girl in my neighborhood (when I was 12, 13) who was a local superstar and ended up getting a free ride to Seton Hall on a b-ball scholarship. She could handle fairly well for a suburban NJ white chick and could shoot the lights out. Right after she graduated, she moved back home and came out to the court though and wanted to play. By this time I was 17, same height as I am now and could dunk and shit. I almost made that girl cry.... now she wasn't even approaching WNBA level talent, so I'm not making a comparison between her and the chicks I mentioned above, but it felt good to shut her down cause she always took pride in beating me when I was 12. I don't think I ever saw her back at the court again after that day. She had no answer for a dude with height and athletic ability. Her game was like distributing, getting open and set shots.

Real question. In your basketball prime, do you think you could beat a WNBA player who matched you height wise?

 

[Mack1052]

that's a good question. The height part is key, although that's not to say a smaller WNBAer couldn't do well. Like at my best I don't think I could beat like Dawn Staley or Diane Taurasi even though they're way shorter than me. ...but like Candace Parker is my height and her arms are probably longer than mine. She'd make a fool out of me unless there were no rules and I manhandled her.

Although I'd have to think she could beat me, I would like to try my luck against Rebecca Lobo. she's my height, but her game never impressed me much. It seemed like her whole game was that she was tall and lanky and could catch balls over other women's head, keep it up there and go right back up with the shot. I at least think I could do better against that than against someone like Candace, Dawn or Diane. Rebecca didn't have handle. She had some nice pivot moves though, and that shit is probably what would get me because I'm sure those moves are a lot quicker in person than they look on tv.

There was this white girl in my neighborhood (when I was 12, 13) who was a local superstar and ended up getting a free ride to Seton Hall on a b-ball scholarship. She could handle fairly well for a suburban NJ white chick and could shoot the lights out. Right after she graduated, she moved back home and came out to the court though and wanted to play. By this time I was 17, same height as I am now and could dunk and shit. I almost made that girl cry.... now she wasn't even approaching WNBA level talent, so I'm not making a comparison between her and the chicks I mentioned above, but it felt good to shut her down cause she always took pride in beating me when I was 12. I don't think I ever saw her back at the court again after that day. She had no answer for a dude with height and athletic ability. Her game was like distributing, getting open and set shots.

Yeah man. I think it all comes down to the physicality of the man and skill set of the women. Would be dope to see this come into fruition tho. I think it would make men respect and appreciate the WNBA game more.

 

[SmoothD]

These are some great stories.
Only story I have, is that a friend of mine (6'3") met LeBron James in a elevator in a hotel, here in Houston.
He said dude was built like a tank and was wide and as tall as a doorway.
He said he sees why dudes just move out his way during a fast break

 

[KunningLinguist]

It depends on who that 12th man is.....Brian Scalibrine or Shawn Bradley ain't bussing nobody.

breh...

you think cats make the NBA off personality?

 

[dtownsfinest]

breh...

you think cats make the NBA off personality?

You think them dudes got personality?

 

[BigDaddyBuk]

You think them dudes got personality?

Wow.

 

[crossovernegro]

wasn't there a clip from a few years back of Scalibrini schooling some dude that swore he could beat him?

breh...

you think cats make the NBA off personality?

 

[woodchuck]

wasn't there a clip from a few years back of Scalibrini schooling some dude that swore he could beat him?

That shit was embarrassing. Reminds me of that time when this dude was saying he could beat Zab Judah, and then Zab showed up at his job. I don't know if it was a skit or not, but it was funny as shit!

 

[D24OHA]

If that's true, goes to show how fucking good Denzel's acting chops are. He not only was playing a real game, he was staying in character! Fucking amazing.

Here's Denzel speaking about it himself

152K reactions · 2.3K shares | This shortened clip contains a clip from “Masterclass” featuring Spike Lee and an audio snippet from Denzel Washington’s interview with The Bill Simmons Podcast. Both Lee and Washington discussed a scene from their 1998

This shortened clip contains a clip from “Masterclass” featuring Spike Lee and an audio snippet from Denzel Washington’s interview with The Bill Simmons Podcast. Both Lee and Washington discussed a...

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And Spike talking about it