Brandon Armstrong aka The NBA Impersonator aka @BdotAdot5, has become a global phenomenon this summer with his hilarious and uncanny impressions of NBA players. He’s particularly adept at replicating their most unflattering mannerisms and nonverbal ticks, such as Kobe’s unsavory habit of chewing on his jersey, James Harden’s over-exaggerated everything, Manu Ginobili’s Euro-step, and much much more. Not even referee Joey Crawford has escaped his satirical wrath.
Now he’s back with yet another spot-on send-up, this time of New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony. It starts harmlessly enough, with Armstrong’s rendition of ‘Melo’s penchant for jab-stepping while hoisting the ball above his head, then ends with his signature three fingers to the dome celebration following a made shot.
But it sort of goes off the rails after that, as Armstrong re-enacts a rather strange incident that occurred during a game in Oklahoma City in 2010 while Anthony was still with the Denver Nuggets. After unsuccessfully trying to post up Kevin Durant, Anthony falls down, gets called for a travel, and then play continues around him while he lays prone and presumably unconscious in the middle of the court for several minutes.
The referees obviously weren’t buying it and made a split-second decision to engage in a battle of wills and allow play to resume around his lifeless body. Even after watching several replays from several different angles, it’s hard to tell exactly what happened, and you can argue all day about whether he was being stubborn and trying to make a point or whether he was actually injured, but it’s pretty clear where @BdotAdot5 stands on the issue.
(via @BdotAdot5 and James Herbert)
