It is an undeniable fact that the NBA has been and will be the pettiest sports league on Earth and this was proven once again on Wednesday night.
While livestreaming himself playing PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (“PUBG”), Philadelphia 76ers rookie sensation Ben Simmons was trying to get Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves to play a late-night online match with him. “You’ve got time, who do you play tomorrow?” Simmons asked. What followed was pure internet gold:
Ben Simmons told KAT he could stay up late to play video games because they're playing the Hawks tonight 😮 pic.twitter.com/AkOv92S2do
— ESPN (@espn) March 28, 2018
Plenty. Of. Time.
In case you haven’t kept up with the NBA regular season, the Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of going full tank mode while sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference at 21-53 (tied for second-worst in the league) heading into their matchup with the T-Wolves. Naturally for Towns, the Hawks warranted little worry, especially when it comes to making time for a round of PUBG.
So, what happened when Towns and the T-Wolves played the Atlanta team he wasn’t losing sleep over?
KAT just dropped a franchise-record 56 points.
FIFTY. SIX. 😳 pic.twitter.com/E5WpyNSVzR
— ESPN (@espn) March 29, 2018
KAT really did have plenty of time, after all, huh? KAT surpassed Mo Williams’ former franchise record for points in a game with 52 and — at 22 years, 133 days — became the youngest player to record 50 points and 15 rebounds in a game since Shaq in 1994 (22 years, 45 days).
Now, just imagine what Towns could’ve done if he had called it a night instead of hopping on for some PUBG?
The exchange between KAT and Simmons is, of course, going viral after the dismantling of the Hawks, and Simmons let Towns know that he was right.
@World_Wide_Wob how about @BenSimmons25 reiterating that KAT didn’t have to get any sleep because they were playing the Hawks 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/8vuC9K0HBw
— Bradley Fey (@bradley_fey) March 29, 2018
Never, ever change, NBA. You are the gift that keeps on giving to us.
