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Boban is a delight
As a player, Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic is totally unremarkable. He played five seasons for five different teams, never averaging more than 14 minutes per game. Put aside the fact that he’s 7’4 “, and he’s just like any of the dozens of role players who fill the NBA roster.
And yet, he’s a fan favorite everywhere he goes. During his rookie season at San Antonio, a Spurs fan had Boban’s face shaved in the head. In Philadelphia, fans eagerly followed the bromance between Marjanovic and Tobias Harris (Bobi and Tobi, as they were called).
Being an actor like Marjanovic means it’s hard to break into the national stage, however. It will never light up the scoreboard or hit a winning shot. But guys on TNT Inside the NBA were kind enough to spend part of Wednesday night’s Mavericks-Clippers halftime show highlighting Marjanovic’s contributions. (He had 10 points and seven rebounds in the first half, ending the game with 13 and 9 in just 10 minutes on the pitch.) After Dallas upset the Clips, 127-114, it was Boban – not Luka Doncic or Kristaps Porzingis – who put on the headphones to talk with Charles, Shaq, Kenny and Ernie. He had never been interviewed by these guys before, and he was so excited to finally have this chance.
“It’s my first time here and I’m nervous, and I’m scared because my headphones don’t fit in my ears and my head,” he said to begin the interview. “If I break it, I’ll buy a new one.”
The interview lasted five minutes, and it doesn’t really work to pick just one clip and say, “That’s why you should like Boban.” Take a few minutes out of your day and watch it all. His infectious enthusiasm, keen sense of humor and humility were fully visible throughout the segment. He did not fall back on we played hardtype clichés. He balanced serious responses with comedy. It was exactly the kind of interview fans want to see from a player. It took a guy who is literally larger than life and humanized him.
If I absolutely have to pick one highlight of the interview, it’s Boban’s interaction with Shaq at the very end. During the halftime show, Shaq gave Boban a new nickname: “You Rang?” (This is a reference to Butler Lurch’s slogan on The Addams Family.) Before Shaq let go of Boban, he wanted to hear him make his best impression of Lurch.
How can you not like this guy? In a league full of strong personalities, he’s as fun as anyone.
Did he really do that?
Well, we may have seen Thom Brennaman’s latest on our TV screens.
Brennaman, known nationally as an NFL broadcaster for Fox, was caught on a hot mic using an anti-LGBTQ slur during Wednesday’s Reds opener. Incredibly, he always called the second game of the night. More unbelievably, he interrupted his own excuses to call a home run from Nick Castellanos … who entered the *** FREE JUDGMENT ZONE *** of the stadium.
Truly surreal.
Here is Brennaman’s full – and completely inadequate – apology (transcribed in full at Horrible ad if you’d rather read it) before handing things over to studio host Jim Day to call up the rest of the game.
Brennaman has since been suspended indefinitely by the Reds.
The best of IS
Alex Prewitt spoke to several NFL players who chose not to participate in the season to find out how they arrived at the decision. … This elementary school teacher spent his summer vacation wrestling at AEW. … UNC football inadvertently ends up in a bubble, and what are the ethical implications? … The offensive numbers have been very strange for this very strange baseball season.
In the world of sport
Arch Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli, whom Ross Dellenger profiled for AND in February, made his debut as the No.5 player in the recruiting class of 247Sports’ 2023 rankings. … ESPN has an in-depth story about Rey Mysterio’s son Dominik’s journey to follow in his father’s footsteps as a WWE wrestler.
The Sixers have big problems after being blown away by the Celtics and falling 2-0 in the series
Oh look, another Padres Grand Slam against the Rangers
It’s a wood swing
Pretty good
DB bosses Bashaud Breeland confirmed his suspension from the PED by posting a clip from a music video he released in 2019
Alternative Universe Ovi
How can you not like this guy?
John Tortorella was in no mood to speak after the Blue Jackets were eliminated
No sport
A new book claims to have solved the mystery of the “lost” Roanoke settlement. … Sacha Baron Cohen was spotted filming as Borat. … A Missouri doctor had his license revoked after amputating a patient’s toe on his office porch. … Olivia Wilde will be directing a female-centric Marvel movie, possibly based on Spider-Woman.
Action Park documentary long overdue
(The infamous amusement park was also the subject of a 2019 AND Jack McCallum story.)
19-year-old student perfectly plays notoriously difficult violin piece
Sounds like a cool movie that I absolutely won’t go to the movies for
A surprisingly simple explanation of how color works
A good song
Send an email to [email protected] with comments or Follow me on twitter for about a half-decent baseball joke a week. Bookmark this page to view previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the latest edition each day. By popular demand I created a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Page Extra Mustard throughout the day for more quirky sports stories.
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