Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
Adam Sandler may be a well-known comedian-actor, with more than 60 movies and 15 TV series spanning over three decades, but there is one thing the New York funnyman has always taken seriously: basketball. On Monday morning, videos of the Sandman hoopin’ it up on an outdoor Long Island court went viral, and it consistently delights people to find out how good he actually is. While he may not have a reputation as the highest flyer, Sandler has notedly displayed impressive court vision for a non-pro baller. Unfortunately for him, though, Sandler’s lack of shooters that day was no laughing matter.
Based on the clips, The Sandman looked like someone who stepped away from a work meeting to sneak in a quick run at the park. Sandler showed up in a jumbled getup of pink polo shirt and oversized shorts, but his style of dress greatly belied the fact that he genuinely came to play. Retired 2-time NBA All-Star guard Baron Davis hit up Twitter to respond to the videos and commented, “Adam Sandler is a baller. You want to be on his team in pickup. He throws dimes!!!”
But a dime is only a dime only if the recipient of the pass scores, which Sandler’s teammates really struggled to do. Check out the highlights below:
However, Sandler has also been seen around other parts of Long Island and recognized as a good sport for not throwing around his celebrity status. Last month, he popped up at a local IHOP and left after being told there would be a 30-minute wait, but he was reportedly very polite about everything.
“He had a mask, obviously it’s hard to recognize people, also he had a beard,” 17-year-old waitress Dayanna Rodas told Fox 5 New York. “I’ve never seen Adam Sandler with a beard so I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s him.'”
And while some people tried to clown Rodas for not letting him skip the line, she told the TV station she would not have any problem doing it again. For his part, Sandler hit up Twitter after news of his unsuccessful IHOP visit leaked. He took some of the heat off Rodas and let his humor shine through, saying it was not the half-hour wait that made him leave after all – it was because “the nice woman told me the all-you-can-eat deal didn’t apply to the milkshakes.”
Sandler may finally be making good on his awaited movie Hustle, though. It was reported since last year, but the most recent filming schedule from the NJ Motion Picture & Television Commission confirms work on the project is scheduled to begin late this summer. With LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment helming the production and names like Queen Latifah, Robert Duvall, and Kenny “The Jet” Smith slated to appear in the flick, we might get to see The Sandman drop some wicked dimes off to his castmates after all.
