Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren had to leave Saturday’s Seattle pro-am game after rolling his ankle, but the injury doesn’t appear to be serious, tweets Nathan Thompson of Fox 23 Sports in Oklahoma. Thompson provides a video of the play, which happened early in the game as Holmgren was defending LeBron James on a fast break.
The contest, which featured an impressive array of NBA talent, had to be called midway through the second quarter because of unsafe court conditions, writes Kevin Pelton of ESPN. The combination of unusually humid weather and a crowd of nearly 3,000 people that packed the gym at Seattle Pacific University led to condensation issues that made the court too slippery to continue.
The decision to end the game was made after Bucks rookie MarJon Beauchamp slipped while attempting a layup.
“You don’t get a day like this often, but it’s my job to protect everybody’s safety,” said league founder Jamal Crawford. “On the court, I couldn’t risk those guys taking a chance of getting hurt. It’s not worth that. It’s supposed to drive inspiration and give hope and they did that. The job was accomplished.”
According to Pelton, fans began lining up Friday night in hopes of being admitted to the venue. Thousands of people were left outside once the small gym reached its capacity.
James received a thunderous ovation when the crowd first caught a glimpse of him, and tipoff was delayed as a group of fans surrounded him on the court. Crawford addressed the crowd over the PA system, asking for order to be restored amid a warning from Seattle police that the game might have to be shut down.
Once play began, Celtics star Jayson Tatum provided some early highlights, hitting three shots from three-point range and blowing kisses to the fans (video link). He also threw a lob pass to James at the end of the first quarter that resulted in a crowd-pleasing dunk.
“Obviously, everybody didn’t get in and everybody probably could never get in,” Crawford said after the game. “We tried to do the best we can. We tried to provide an experience that we’ve never had before. I thought that overall it was great because I think it’s moments and memories that the kids will never forget.”
Youngster gonna have to toughen up… link to m.youtube.com
Please rate the following comments by stupidity from Sankara, if you can: This comment, any comment he made yesterday, any comment from last week. Rate top 3 if possible.
Clown comment dude. I don’t think the young man’s toughness is a factor in rolling his ankle during bad court conditions.
Lmao u mad
Ratio’d
It’s no worse than the ones that got him muted on the non-app versions of Trade Rumors.
Chet is going to get beat up when it gets real. Physically not ready for the NBA. Will be tested on both ends by grown up men friend.
By toughen up, you mean not be white?
I think he means not be 185 lbs soaking wet with no muscle.
And so it begins
Hahaha he hasn’t played a single game in the league and injuries already mounting. This dude wouldn’t touch the ball if he was playing in 90’s.