Back in April, two buddies decided over a few adult beverages that they wanted to have a little fun with the National Basketball Association and declare themselves eligible for the upcoming draft. It’s nothing that hasn’t been done before, but for some reason I get a kick out of it every time that someone does it, ever since a friend of mine did it in the months before we graduated high school.
(RELEVANT UPDATE: I knew I had read a similar story before, and apparently Maxim Magazine ran a story about an “average yutz” who went through the NBA Draft eligibility declaration process back in 1999. That I remembered even a hint of a Maxim article from that long ago means I wasn’t that bowled over by Melissa Joan Hart’s cover and spread.)
Except while some people might say, “Big deal, bros” to Nick Moran and Andrew Hunter for their joke, I tip my flat-billed cap with all the NBA team logos to them for not just making the joke but also taking it from coast-to-coast for the easy layup. Since receiving a letter from NBA Vice President Andy Taub, who informed them that because they graduated college in 2010 they’re actually free agents and are therefore ineligible for the NBA Draft on June 27, the friends have even created their own website called “We Declare”, hoping to catch the eye of… someone.
As for why they’re going this far, well, sh*ts and giggles, bros.
“An actual interview with an NBA team would be outstanding,” Moran said. “We’ve gotten some people questioning our legitimacy online — I’ve been reading the comments. A news conference to clarify that would not be unwelcome. … But what we can offer a team includes (and is not limited to) great camaraderie, fantastic high five choreography, good bench celebrations, and a favorable ‘height juxtaposition’ were we to stand next to some players who might be worried that they look short — next to us, they’d look like monsters.” (Via AOL)
I think NBA teams would be very wise to add two seats to the end of their benches for two fans to sit and be “part of the team”, in that they’d dress the part while offering up high fives and fist bumps. It might actually make Charlotte Bobcats tolerable for at least two people.
The WOAT duo has full, entertaining bios up at We Declare, and they will apparently be hosting their own NBA Draft party, so anyone hoping to watch two rounds of the rich getting richer and inept GMs further tanking teams can stay tuned for the updates on when and where.
