In an amusing clip, Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews of the Milwaukee Bucks show off their wrestling skills before taking the floor.
No NBA player finds themselves drawn into more high jinks than the Bucks‘ Robin Lopez. Whether it is fighting seemingly every single mascot in the NBA or being fooled into signing a document that Brook is the better Lopez brother by Chuck the Condor, if there’s some silliness happening in the NBA, there’s a pretty solid chance Robin Lopez will be in the middle of it.
Yet another example of his penchant for lighthearted fun recently was revealed as a video of he and Wesley Matthews busting out their best Stone Cold Steve Austin impressions in the tunnel while waiting for a game to start.
Lopez is just peaceably walking to join his team before they take the floor when he is grabbed, punched in the stomach and then body-slammed by Wesley Matthews. While Lopez tries to return a blow, Matthews evades him with ease and then, when Lopez is already down, Matthews really decides to lay into him.
Matthews picks up a folding chair — could it be the same one Yi Jianlian dominated in his infamous draft workout? — and hits the lying Lopez on the back with it. He then walks away, puts down the chair, gets a running start, and jumps before landing on Lopez, really showing who the preeminent wrestler on the Bucks is.
It’s all a fun pantomime. However, if you’re a Bucks fan, it may make sense to be a little worried about the team’s unity and their willingness to defend one another considering literally no one comes to Lopez’s defense even as he lies helpless and open to attack. When the playoffs come, it’s imperative that they have each other’s back more than they appear to here.
It’s an amusing video and a good chance for a team to have chances to unwind and have fun together in the midst of a long season. And hey, if this whole basketball thing doesn’t end up working out for Wesley Matthews, based on what he showcases here, it looks like he could transition to a wrestling career quite effortlessly.