A video of youth basketball players emulating NBA stars went viral on Wednesday and sparked interesting reactions on social media.
The video from Courtside Films was reposted by Overtime and it showed the young players making baskets left and right and also taunting each other after made shots. The video went viral across Twitter and Instagram over the course of the day but didn’t exactly go over well.
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard was among those who didn’t like what he was watching.
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Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard prepares to pass the ball against the Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Jan. 17, 2023.
(Ron Chenoy-USA Today Sports)
Knicks guard Evan Fournier warms up before the Toronto Raptors game at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Jan. 16, 2023.
(Vincent Carchietta-USA Today Sports)
“Facts. It’s getting out of control,” Lillard wrote on social media.
New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier added: “Smh. We need to set a better exemple (sic) for this new generation man.”
A lot of basketball fans expressed some worry on social media. Others believed it was important for the children to have fun while on the basketball court but several wondered where the coaches were in this situation.
Some commenters harkened back to what Minnesota Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers said Monday about “highlight culture” in the sport.
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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers goes to the basket as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell defends at Target Center in Minneapolis on Jan. 14, 2023.
(Jeffrey Becker-USA Today Sports)
“When I played in high school, you only got a mixtape if you were like a top-tier guy,” Rivers told The Ringer. “Back then, you had to put in work. Consistent work. You had to build a name for yourself to get a mixtape and it was an honor to have a BallIsLife mixtape. It was an honor to have a Hoopmixtape. We didn’t play to have one though, I didn’t go into a game doing something to be on Hoopmixtape.
“The landscape has changed now. Parents are paying these people to come to games. Everyone gets a mixtape, everyone looks at the camera now and taps on their head when they dunk on someone. It’s all highlight after highlight after highlight, and now only kids watch highlights. They don’t watch the actual basketball game, the purity of the game.
“Making a hockey pass, which means making the right pass even though you’re not going to get an assist, you’re driving to make a play so someone else can make the play to get an assist. Diving on the floor, talking on defense, playing defense at all. Shooting good shots, making the game easy, being efficient with the basketball, scoring off one or two dribbles rather than 15 dribbles. … Highlight culture has absolutely killed the game of basketball.”
Washington Wizards star Kyle Kuzma tweeted something similar on Jan. 7.
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“Highlight culture absolutely killed the game of basketball. The nuance is lost…”
