Zach LaVine has made the most of the NBA’s indefinite hiatus — from shelling out meals to aid his home city of Seattle, to absolutely schooling his dog Grizzly in some lighthearted 1-on-1.
Saturday night, he participated in a Call of Duty Modern Warfare tournament virtually hosted by SLAM along with other NBA stars, including Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons, Josh Hart and Meyers Leonard. Bronny James even made a surprise guest appearance on LaVine’s team.
LaVine was quiet for most of the tourney, preferring to play his role as an assist-man, as he chided early in the broadcast. But you know Zach LaVine. When he heats up, it doesn’t go unnoticed.
Upon ripping a three-kill streak, LaVine’s teammate Leonard, a center for the Miami Heat, had some fun celebrating. He’s a real one.
Content warning: Explicit language
“Ok, Zach, [expletive], I didn’t see that. Three big bodies. You know what that three reminds me of? That 3, that eyeball sandwich you hit in [expletive] Charlotte, that’s what that reminds me of,” Leonard exclaimed.
Then, louder: “That [expletive] was crazy! I ain’t even on your team and I was going crazy!”
NBA
"You a fool, bro," LaVine responded.
Leonard, of course, is alluding to LaVine’s career-high 49-point, 13 3-pointer performance against the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 23. Those 13 3s mark a Bulls franchise record, and the final one sealed an improbable, exhilarating comeback victory:
Eyeball sandwich is right.
Interesting subtext here: LaVine’s big night in Charlotte was made all the more impressive by the fact it was on the second night of a back-to-back. And on the first night of said back-to-back, you may remember that he was unceremoniously yanked early in the first quarter of a loss to... Leonard's Miami Heat after what Bulls coach Jim Boylen termed “three egregious defensive errors."
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While there hasn’t been a ton to celebrate in this underwhelming Bulls season (so far?), that performance from LaVine in Charlotte certainly recalls fond memories. Shoutout Leonard for giving us an opportunity to celebrate them in these tumultuous times.
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