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While many players chug their beers, play their video games, and play with their food, the Mavericks find new ways to enjoy life make the most of their opportunities.
And thanks to Luka Doncic’s Instagram story, we got insight into one of the strangest bubble activities to date.
some early spike ball before practice.
— NBA Bubble Life (@NBABubbleLife) July 16, 2020
(ps this song is great for this game) pic.twitter.com/f5SrhOA17b
Sure, go ahead and rub your eyes, clean your glasses or whatever you need to do to refocus your vision. But you saw correctly the first time. Boban Marjanovic, J.J. Barea, Don Kalkestein (Director of Mental Skills, aka team psychiatrist) and one other unidentifiable staffer enjoyed a friendly game of Spikeball, the game that has captured the hearts of college kids and church youth groups across the nation.
And the cherry on top? Akon’s ‘Smack That’, which released in 2006, is bumping over the loud speakers.
If you’re unfamiliar with what (good) Spikeball should look like, watch this video of the most intense Spikeball game ever. YouTube said it was, so it has to be true.
The game combines agility, hand-eye coordination, impeccable anticipation and a whole lot of finesse. Just look at how many times these warriors sacrificed their bodies and stretched their limbs to the limits to not let a tiny yellow rubber ball hit the grass.
And you have to be locked in at all times. Just ask the guy in yellow with the backwards hat who gave up the game winning point. The agony as he collapses to the ground while the other team basks in vanquishing its foe will be felt for generations.
There’s an obvious drop off in level of play from the first-team all-spikeballers in the YouTube video compared to the Mavericks. For starters, Boban is about 10 feet, two inches (don’t look it up I already checked), so reaching down at uncomfortable angles probably isn’t his strong suit. Barea definitely has the body type to dominate at Spikeball. He’s quick, agile and he’s wearing a backwards hat. But it’s pretty clear they have no idea what the rules are or what they are doing.
That doesn’t matter when you are dominating the Bubble lifestyle, though. From making DJ mixes on the balcony, gaining the mental edge on a potential Finals opponent and creating original Disney content, the Mavericks are thriving in Orlando. When you’re the life of the party, you can absolutely play Spikeball to the tune of Smack That.