The NBA's annual Martin Luther King Day schedule kicked off this afternoon with a matchup between the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards, and it didn't take long for Bradley Beal to give us the first highlight of the day. With the shot clock winding down midway through the first quarter, Beal got matched up with Andre Drummond on a switch at the top of the key. What happened next is every big man's nightmare.
Beal delivered a vicious, behind-the-back stepback, that buckled Drummond's knees and ankles while simultaneously sending the Wizards bench into pandemonium. Check out the cross, as well as the reaction from the bench, in the video embedded below.
The Wizards and their fans haven't had much to get excited about this season but Bradley Beal has continued to ball out. In 34 games, the two-time All Star is averaging a career-high 27.2 points per game to go along with 6.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists. That said, the Wiz are just 13-28 on the season which puts them among the bottom five in the league.
Beal, 26, recently inked a two-year, $72 million contract extension that will begin with the 2021–22 season and includes a player option for the 2022–23 season.
There are a total of 14 NBA games on the slate today, including a TNT triple-header featuring the New Orleans Pelicans vs Memphis Grizzlies at 5:00pm ET, Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics tipping off at 7:30pm, and Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers at 10pm.