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Adam Sandler is obsessed with basketball. Whether it's playing a little one-on-one with his English bulldog or literally starring in movies about the sport, the man is just utterly fixated. Adam is even known to drop by random public games across The United States and ask to join in. It's what's known as a pickup, but it's not something many famous people do.While the Uncut Gems and Billy Madison star isn't the only actor who has been spotted playing pickups, he never does it for the photo op. In fact, he's usually dressed in one of the absurdly schlubby yet beloved outfits that just make him appear to be just one of the guys.The fact Adam does this kind of thing has become something of a legend. Much like random chance encounters with Tom Hanks or Bill Murray, Adam showing up on a public court isn't exactly rare. During an interview by MEL Magazine, a few of the random people that Adam has played with explained what he's actually like on the court and if he's any good...
What Adam Sandler Is Really Like Playing Pickups
Yes. Adam Sandler really does play basketball. Though he's been known to do it on the set of his movies, he's most famous for playing with strangers. Santa Monica citizen Chris Collins told MEL Magazine that he was blown away to find Adam asking if he could play a couple of games of pickup basketball with him and his friends at Reed Park.
But before Chris could really absorb what was going on, he couldn't get his eyes off of Adam's terrible outfit.
"At first glance, I was like, ‘No… nooooo, this guy’s dressed like such a bum'. He really was dressed like such a bum; he was literally wearing these funky, blue gas-station sunglasses, these long, baggy, shiny nylon AND1 shorts from the 2000s, a baggy grey shirt, black Nikes… just a baggy-a** outfit all around," Chris Collins explained.
"When he showed up to the LA Fitness in Atlanta, his fit was like… I couldn’t pay any attention to it," Joshua, a man in his late 20s who played with Adam at an Atlanta LA Fitness in 2019 said to MEL Magazine. "I was like, 'Bro, for you to be so rich, you just humble me,' because he don’t give a s*** about clothing. Literally, it looked like he had them clothes since the 1990s, like literally the 1990s."
Joshua went on to say that he did everything he could to just focus on the game and treat Adam like a 'normal person' and not like a celebrity. Despite playing pickup with other famous people in the past, he was a big fan of Adam's work. The same was true for Robert Whitehorn and Phoenix Ford who played alongside the actor at Christopher Morley Park in Long Island.
"There were moments during the game where I had to stop and think, What is happening right now? Am I really playing with Adam Sandler, my childhood hero?" Phoenix said to MEL Magazine. "I didn’t know he did this kinda stuff at all, but it turned out it was actually Adam Sandler. So we asked if he wanted to play 5-on-5 with us, and he was immediately down. I was captain and got first pick — of course the first person I’m going with is Sandler. And to be honest, I’d pick him up on my team again."
Is Adam Sandler Good At Basketball?
While Adam Sandler loves to shoot hoops, it doesn't necessarily mean he's any good at it. But according to the strangers he's played with, the acclaimed comedian actually has a few insane skills up his sleeve. He doesn't just do it for the fun. Adam plays because he wants to win.
"Dude, he was so good.," Chris Collins said. "And he never took the shades off either. He never took them off; he was just out there drilling long threes in the shades and hitting cutters. It was really incredible."
While playing pickup usually has players doing everything they can not to look like an idiot, Adam is said to simply not care. His main focus is working his butt off to win. And despite not being skilled in every technique and position, almost everyone says he is an absurdly great passer.
"He was hustling, grabbing rebounds, making the extra pass," Joshua claimed.
"He does these cross-court passes, these fast-break, baseball bounce-passes across the court," Chris added.
"[Adam’s] definitely a floor general — he’s always looking to set up his teammates," Robert Whitehorn explained. "He’s a great passer, too. He didn’t really shoot much, so I can’t critique his jump shot or his layups, but he was finding the open man. He’s a person who likes to make his teammates look better, that’s what I got from him."
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