Pacers rookie Damjan Rudez is so fancy, and here is undeniable proof (Video)
As of Sunday night, all I knew about Damjan Rudez is that he was a big dude who made a name for himself as a sweet-shooting forward in Europe over the past several years, and whom the Indiana Pacers signed this summer to hopefully help add some floor-spacing and shot-making to their often stagnant offense. As of Monday morning, though, I know a little bit more about the big Croatian — namely, that he’s fancy.
Yep, that’s Rudez trying his hand at Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX’s “Fancy,” considered by many the song of the summer, at the Pacers’ annual “FanJam” training camp festivities. Actually, “trying” might be a bit too unkind a descriptor; Rudez actually kind of kills this. (Well, in the broader context of how many of us, NBA players included, sound when ostensibly karaoke-ing hip-hop songs in public, anyway.) Not bad for a song he’d apparently only heard for the first time last week … which, given how ubiquitous it was this summer, seems borderline impossible.
Rudez’s performance came as part of the “Rookie Show” portion of FanJam, which saw the Pacers’ new additions — Rudez, plus undrafted free-agent signings Shayne Whittington and C.J. Fair — strut their stuff in front of about 7,500 fans on the court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. While Rudez has been a pro in Europe since he was just a teenager, he’s a rookie in the NBA sense, which means he’s responsible for certain “rookie duties” — which I guess aren’t covered by that memo the NBA sent last year regarding rookie hazing — including letting his stage presence shine in front of the faithful. His rapping seems to have made an impression on at least one critical observer.
“He had the dance down, he had the words down, every lyric,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel told Larry Hawley of Indianapolis’ FOX59. “It was a great show. It was maybe the best rookie initiation that we’ve had.”
Rookies weren’t the only ones put in awkward positions, though. Second-year swingman Solomon Hill and veteran forward/center Lavoy Allen found themselves having to navigate cones and make layups wearing inflatable sumo-wrestler suits:
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style=”font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px; word-wrap: break-word;”>Video: The Sumo Shootout with @solohill and @chef_voy_ardee at #PacersFanJam. (Lavoy’s suit may have been just a bit too small.)
They, um, did not look so fancy.
This could’ve gone a lot worse for Rudez, who was clearly enjoying himself as he exhorted the crowd to leave behind that Bankers Life and start living lavish. It’s just a shame that the song’s originator already has a ball-playing boyfriend; then again, with Swaggy P on the injured list for a spell, this might be Rudez’s chance to shine. Damo’s swagger’s on stupid, Iggy. I thought you knew that, knew that.
Video via Scott Agness. Hat-tip to Jack Maloney at The Friendly Bounce.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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