Late in the fourth quarter of their marquee SEC matchup against No. 1 South Carolina, Angel Reese approached teammate Hailey Van Lith and gave her a quick pep talk. However, the way that Reese did so - speaking quickly while patting Van Lith's shoulders and face - immediately reminded many fans of an iconic meme featuring Draymond Green and Kevin Durant. Green did almost the exact same set of motions while speaking to Durant during a 2017 game when both men played for the Warriors.
Fans quickly took to social media to make the comparison, which for some went beyond just Reese doing the same gestures. "Both of them trying to coach to the better player that’s spot on lmaooooo," one fan (debatably) added. Meanwhile, several other commenters mused as to whether it was an intentional callback by Reese. Whatever the case, the pep talk did not have the desired effect. The teams came out of the timeout, called with 97 seconds left in the game, tied at 70. South Carolina proceeded to go on a 6-0 run to close out the game to remain undefeated and hand LSU their third loss of the season.
Draymond Green Excluded From Initial Olympic Pool
Meanwhile, meme callbacks aren't the only thing that Draymond has been involved in lately. USA Basketball released its initial player pool for the 2024 men's Olympic basketball team and Green's name was perhaps the most surprising absence. However, USA Basketball executive director explained that it was Green's on-court antics keeping him out of contention at the moment. "His contributions have been significant, and he is a real part of the legacy of this organization for his excellence. But I think just in lieu of sort of what's transpired this year, we made a decision to not have [Green] on this list with this particular point in time with the process," Hill said in a media Zoom call.
Green will be able to play his way into the roster over the next few months. The team isn't expected to be picked up May at the earliest. Meanwhile, the rest of the list is a veritable list of bona fide NBA talent. LeBron, Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum, and Joel Embiid all appear on the list. However, there is also a cache of younger stars like Walker Kessler, Chet Holgrem, and Tyrese Haliburton.
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