I went up to Frisco on Saturday night to see the Texas Legends play, something I do from time to time. I am not as familiar with the goings-on of the Dallas Mavericks’ NBA Developmental League affiliate as I am with the Mavericks — or a lot of things, really. As soon as I walked into Dr Pepper Arena, I saw Paul Sturgess running through some drills on the court. Because there was no real way I couldn’t see Sturgess. He is 7-foot-8, the tallest professional basketball player in the world. The former Harlem Globetrotter didn’t play in the game. He didn’t even dress, actually. But he is prominently featured in the team’s in-arena marketing. Can he play? He was more skilled than I might have figured — he had a decent touch tossing alley-oop passes from the free throw line, and he moves decently. Also, he can dunk without jumping. Will he make the NBA? I’d say I doubt it, but Shawn Bradley played for a fairly long time, so I suppose anything is possible.
