The Indiana Pacers’ young spark plug, Lance Stephenson, returned to his home borough of Brooklyn last night for the East New York Memorial Classic. There was a lot of flexing, a lot of leaping, and a whole lot of nasty as Stephenson showed his hometown just how good he’s become after three seasons in the NBA.
New York’s all-time leading high school scorer did plenty of scoring this past weekend, and thoroughly bullied anyone foolish enough to get in the way of his locomotive drives. The highlight among a night of highlights was probably when he attempted a half-court shot, grabbed the long rebound from off the backboard (it almost banked in), and then threw it off the backboard to himself for the one-handed dunk.
The former Lincoln High star, New York’s Mr. Basketball, and McDonald’s All-American during his senior season in 2009, Stephenson won four-straight City Basketball Championships over the course of his varsity career. Since that ridiculous basketball genesis, he has since led a hardscrabble intiation into the professional ranks. But the tutelage of Larry Bird, back as the Pacers’ general manager after a season away, has paid excellent dividends for the Pacers as they stuck with him even as he was getting into trouble during his rookie season.
Doin’ it in the Park director, Bobbito Garcia, nicknamed Stephenson “Born Ready,” and you can hear the emcee lustily saying the moniker throughout the dunks, three-pointer’s, and dribble drives that are both lightening quick and overpowering as Stephenson shows off his entire aresenal at Gersh Park.
What’s your favorite move from Stephenson’s return to Gersh Park?
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