NBA teams are in a tunnel before they head out for a pregame shootaround a few minutes before a game. You’ll see the team huddle, and then exit when the game host or PA announcer introduces them.
On Thursday, before the Wizards’ game against the Suns, things were different. Another group, mostly off camera at the Talking Stick Resort Arena was doing a cheer or song, and several Wizards danced to it. You can watch the moves in the video above by DefPenHoops. In the video, you’ll see Kelly Oubre, Jason Smith, Chris McCullough, and Ian Mahinmi dancing at various points. Here’s a breakdown:
- Oubre as you might expect, never shies away from the camera. Of the players who were dancing, he gets my vote as the best dancer. He alternated from robot moves to some shoulder dancing at the end.
- Smith is one who’s bound to get loose on the dance floor at your next party or wedding. He’s second place, but real close nevertheless.
- To Chris McCullough, come on! Don’t stop dancing after the camera saw you in the background!
- Mahinmi hasn’t been so great on the court this season, given how foul prone he’s been. In fact he’s averaging a career-high 7.9 fouls per 36 minutes. Unfortunately, after watching his warm-up/attempt at dancing, all I have to say is this: Quelle mauvaise danse, Ian! There’s a silver lining to this however. He did foul out in about 25 minutes of game action, but he did score a season high 10 points, grab 8 rebounds, and even get a couple steals. In fact, he played better than fellow EU big man Marcin Gortat. So, in the grand scheme of things: Quelle belle performance, Ian!