If you’ve ever played a game of basketball down at your local venue, there’s always an older guy who looks like he doesn’t belong.
He doesn’t look like he’s in great physical shape and he struggles to move up and down the court, but despite his lesser athleticism he continually takes every young kid to school if they dare step up and attempt to guard him.
That’s 36-year-old Ingles in the NBA. He looks so out of place, but time and again he makes his more athletic opponents wonder what the hell just happened.
The clip, from a game against the San Antonio Spurs, has spread across social media like wildfire with fans incredulous over how he manages to make his rivals look so silly.
Ingles is seen dribbling up the court before going around a teammate’s screen and slowly ambling his way towards the hoop as he lays it up beyond the outstretched arm of young block machine Victor Wembanyama.
But it’s what happens next that really makes the video. As his teammates sprint back down the floor, Ingles looks in agony as he attempts to get his body going as he uses his arms like propellers to try and gain some extra thrust.
Ingles is stuck in first gear. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
While the game took place on February 9, the clip has only just started doing the rounds on social media and has, at the time of writing, racked up over 3.5 million views.
Fans couldn’t believe what they had seen unfold.
One user wrote: “The way he runs back on defence has me in tears.”
A second wrote: “He reminds me of a goofy uncle who’s low-key athletic in every sport.”
A third added: “When he 50 he’s gonna be averaging 50 in the YMCA league.”
Another perfectly summed it up with this reply to the video: “Guy plays in a rec league that just so happens to be the NBA.”
Ingles ended the contest with eight points, three rebounds and four assists as the Orlando Magic secured the 127-111 win over the Spurs.
Despite his slow moving nature, he keeps cooking. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Ingles joined the Magic ahead of the 2023/24 season after putting pen-to-paper on a two-year deal worth $22 million USD ($30,017,000 AUD).
He spent the previous season as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks following eight seasons with the Utah Jazz.
Despite seeing a dip in his numbers across the board, Ingles has become a key piece off the bench for the Magic as they hunt their first playoff berth since 2020.
As the NBA gets set to enter it’s All Star Weekend, the Magic currently sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, four games clear of the ninth placed Chicago Bulls.
If only it counted when you kicked the ball through the hoop.
Aussie big man Jock Landale has shared a remarkable trick shot after he kicked an AFL footy from one end of a basketball court through the goal at the other end of the court.
And it was first go — the 211cm giant said he has witnesses.
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The Melbourne-born hooper could not have got it cleaner if he tried, hitting the bottom of the net with a brilliant drop punt.
The 28-year-old celebrated wildly in the empty stadium, screaming: “Oh, oh my f**king god”.
In another video, Landale is asked how he felt about it.
“I feel great. Like I could s**t gold. Like I could s**t f**king gold mate,” he added.
AFL stars liked what they saw with Mason Cox sharing four fire emojis, while Brodie Grundy added: “Light work”.
Even Sherrin Australia posted: “We might be biased but we feel that’s the greatest swish of all time”.
Atlanta Hawk Dejounte Murray didn’t believe it though: “Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhh LOL This Ain’t Real!!!”
But it was Landale’s caption that may have revealed an uncomfortable truth for the Boomers ahead of the Olympics.
“No word of a lie, first try. Got witnesses if necessary!”
No not that part …
“Found my new shooting technique cause that other thing ain’t working!!!” Landale wrote.
Landale signed with the cellar dwelling Rockets after stunning for the Phoenix Suns last year.
While the Suns crashed out in the conference semis to eventual champions Denver, Landale was a breakout star, even starting in the sixth and what would be final game of the series, going +7 and scoring 13 points, five rebounds, one assist and a block in 31 minutes of game-time.
And fans were impressed with the effort from the Aussie and it had many believing he’d be making bank going forward.
An unrestricted free agent, Landale signed with the Rockets before he suffered an ugly ankle injury in a warm-up match that saw him miss the Boomers’ disastrous basketball World Cup campaign late last year.
Mainly stuck behind big man Alperen Sengun, Landale hasn’t been able to stamp his authority on the Rockets, averaging 2.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists for the side and is struggling for game time, playing over 10 minutes in just 13 of the 29 matches he’s played this season.
Landale has been struggling this season. Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFPLandale is important for the Boomers’ Olympic campaign. Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
It’s a long way short of his career averages of 5.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists.
But most worrying is his drop off in shooting.
Landale is averaging just 0.471 per cent from two point range — down from 0.604 per cent from his career.
From three, it’s even worse — just 0.111 per cent (two from 18 attempts), down from 0.272 per cent for his career.
It gets even worse for Landale as the Rockets just signed New Zealander Steven Adams.
It’s increasingly likely Landale will be traded at the end of the year with his four-year $32 million contract only guaranteed for one year.
Landale told the Chronicle he had come to the franchise on “half an ankle”.
“My ankle was completely (messed up) when I first got here,” Landale said.
“I wasn’t in a good spot health-wise to go out and compete. My biggest asset is how hard I play and moving around the court and getting on the boards. My body couldn’t keep up with the level of play I was used to playing.
“Around game 20, we really figured out my rehab process, and I got to a point I was healthy and could be back to the Jock Landale the Houston Rockets had signed. That kind of created an identity at that point. It’s been tough to crack back into the rotation since then. I definitely feel I’m ready to go.”
But it’s Landale’s stats this season that further exposes the Boomers issues with Australia’s biggest NBA stars not getting enough game time and not exceeding expectations when given the shot.
The Boomers are the reigning Olympic bronze medallists, having ridden Patty Mills’ 42-point performance to the Aussie men’s first international medal.
Hopefully the Boomers can go back. Photo: Adam HeadSource: News Corp Australia
Josh Giddey has endured a turbulent season for the OKC Thunder and has had his minutes reduced for the rapidly improving team.
Giddey is still getting on the court for the Thunder, albeit he likely won’t see many minutes in the playoffs after a recent trade for veteran Gordon Hayward.
Even today, he had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes in OKC’s 127-113 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Giddey, 21, was given the keys to the Boomers’ offence at last year’s FIBA World Cup with Mills playing a supporting role as the changing of the guard began.
The 35-year-old Mills always seems to grow an extra leg when playing for Australia but has played just 19 matches for Atlanta this season.
“You don’t want one of your mainstays for your national team playing zero minutes over 12 months and last season he didn’t play a lot either,” Andrew Bogut told his Rogues Bogues podcast last year.
“The World Cup was probably not his best tournament when you compare the bronze medal run and runs before that. You don’t want to float into (the Olympics) having no form.”
Joe Ingles has just returned from injury, Dyson Daniels suffered a torn lateral meniscus recently, with Ben Simmons you can choose injury issues or even whether he’ll commit for the Olympics.
Then there’s Duop Reath, Dante Exum and Josh Green who have impressed but aren’t exactly the players that will win you an Olympic medal.
The Matildas have suffered their first loss since the FIFA World Cup, going down 5-0 in a brutal defeat to Canada in a friendly on Saturday afternoon (AEDT).
Having already progressed to the next stage of Olympic qualification with dominant wins over Chinese Tapei, Iran and the Philippines, the stakes were lower against Canada and Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson opted for an experimental side.
Sam Kerr and Mackenzie Arnold were unavailable due to injury, and picked a second string starting XI, blooding two debutants in Sarah Hunter and Charlie Rule.
But the Matildas B-team were thrown to the wolves on a cold night in British Colombia on a synthetic pitch that didn’t suit Australia’s style of play.
Canada’s Nichelle Prince scored a first half double but the Matildas struggled, not managing a single shot or even a corner in the opening 45 minutes.
A second string Matildas side was no match for Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images for Football Australia)Source: Getty Images
The Matildas defeated Canada 4-0 in the group stage of the World Cup earlier this year in arguably their best performance of the tournament, but it was a different story this time around.
Gustavsson was criticised during the World Cup for not turning to his substitutes, and former Socceroo Andy Harper said the Matildas coach missed a trick by not including at least a couple of experienced players in the starting XI.
Harper said on Channel 10: “It begs the question when you go for an experiment, what exactly is the point of the experiment?
“Very clearly a lot of the players in the first half have been completely exposed. Is that what he wanted out of this? Who is going to come through.
“And then you run the risk of someone who may be feels a little poorly after their 45 minutes and you drag them and you compound the problem.
“Somehow we’ve hung girls out to dry in the driving rain.
“I don’t know why we had to go down this path. It’s extraordinarily disappointing.
“I don’t understand why Clare Wheeler couldn’t play next to Kyra Cooney-Cross, or Sarah Hunter couldn’t play alongisde Katrina Gorry.
“It’s almost like cannon fodder. Use the two games to mix and match.”
A second string Matildas side was no match for Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images for Football Australia)Source: Getty Images
The Canadians added three more goals in the second half through Simi Awujo, Cloe Lacasse and Adriana Leon, completely humilating the Matildas defence.
It took until the 74th minute for Mary Fowler to get the Matildas their first shot on target after she came off the bench.
Fowler, Katrina Gorry, Alanna Kennedy, Hayley Raso, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Emily van Egmond came on in the second half, but by then the damage was done.
It was the Matildas’ heaviest loss since a 7-0 defeat to Spain in a 2022 friendly, when Gustavvsson also blooded an inexperienced side.
The Matildas will play another friendly against Canada on Wednesday before turning their attention to their next Olympic qualifier against Uzbekistan in February.
Liverpool fell behind for the fourth time in five matches this season but fought back to beat LASK 3-1 in Linz in the Europa League on Friday (AEST).
Elsewhere in the early matches in the first round of the group stage of the second-tier European competition, Romelu Lukaku earned last year’s beaten finalists Roma a 2-1 victory at Sheriff.
Bayer Leverkusen crushed Swedes Hacken 4-0, Rennes cruised past Maccabi Haifa 3-0 in France, Spaniards Villarreal lost 2-0 to Panathinakos in Greece.
Liverpool, playing in the Europa League for the first time since finishing runners up in 2016, changed their entire starting 11 away to LASK and quickly fell behind.
In the 14th minute, Sascha Horvath lobbed a corner to Florian Flecker just outside the Liverpool box. The Austrian midfielder controlled the dropping ball before smashing a rocket shot past Caoimhin Kelleher in the Liverpool goal.
Darwin Nunez levelled with a 55th-minute penalty kick after Luis Diaz was brought down.
After 61 minutes, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp started to replace teenagers with regular starters.
Within two minutes they were ahead when Ryan Gravenberch burst down the right and crossed low for Diaz to score from close range.
Liverpool came back from a goal down to beat LASK. (Photo by Christian Hofer/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Two minutes from the end Mohamed Salah, a second-half replacement, poked home a third.
In Moldova, Leandro Paredes scored four minutes into first-half injury time to give Roma the lead away to Sheriff.
Colombian Cristian Tovar levelled but Romelu Lukaku gave Jose Mourinho’s team a narrow victory.
Brighton were also given a brutal reality check of just how difficult European football is as they lost 3-2 to AEK Athens.
The Seagulls had to come from behind twice courtesy of two Joao Pedro penalties before AEK’s Ezequiel Ponce popped up in the 84th minute to secure three points at the Amex Stadium.
Manchester United’s hopes of a first Premier League title for a decade have been dented just a week into the new campaign by an alarming 2-0 defeat at Tottenham.
New-look Chelsea also suffered a reality check as British record signing Moises Caicedo’s debut ended in a 3-1 defeat to West Ham.
By contrast, Pep Guardiola said Manchester City showed the mentality of champions to beat Newcastle 1-0 despite a demanding week that saw the treble winners add the UEFA Super Cup to their trophy haul.
Here are hree talking points from the second weekend of the season:
James Maddison of Tottenham Hotspur embraces the team’s manager, Ange Postecoglou.Source: Getty Images
New season, same problems for Man Utd
United got away with one on Monday as Wolves dominated at Old Trafford only to lose 1-0, in part thanks to the controversial non-award of a penalty to the visitors.
The performance from Erik ten Hag’s men was marginally better at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but against stronger opposition in Ange Postecoglou’s side this time their failings at both ends of the field were punished.
Ten Hag admitted he is concerned by his side’s inability to make the most of their chances after a number of gilt-edged first-half opportunities went begging.
The Dutchman said that is the reason United splashed out £64 million ($81 million) on Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund.
But the 20-year-old has missed the start of the season due to a back injury, exposing United’s need for a natural number nine once more.
Marcus Rashford’s desire to start from the left rather than through the middle shone through, while Ten Hag needs more end product from wingers Antony, Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho.
Impressive Hammers keep Chelsea winless | 00:55
– No Caicedo, no problem for Brighton –
Just days after Brighton raked in a record transfer fee rising to £115 million for Caicedo, they still ended the weekend top of the table.
Roberto De Zerbi’s men backed up their 4-1 win over Luton on the opening weekend by thrashing Wolves by the same scoreline at Molineux.
The Italian has said bigger clubs may buy Brighton’s best players but not their spirit.
Caicedo, who joined the Seagulls for just £4 million just two years ago, has cost Chelsea more than Brighton spent to build their Amex Stadium.
The Premier League’s vultures are likely to be hovering once more for Kaoru Mitoma in the near future.
The Japanese winger shone last season and opened the scoring in stunning fashion as he slalomed past four Wolves defenders before slotting home.
Mitoma then set up the second goal for Pervis Estupinan before Solly March struck twice.
Aston Villa crush dreadful Everton | 00:30
– City show Newcastle gulf still to bridge –
Backed by the vast riches of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Newcastle appear best placed to challenge City’s dominance of English football in the coming years.
The Magpies headed to the Etihad full of confidence after thrashing Aston Villa 5-1 to get their season off to a flying start.
But Newcastle were given a reminder of the gulf in class they still have to bridge if they are to take City’s crown and become English champions for the first time in 97 years.
Pep Guardiola’s men arrived home in the early hours of Thursday morning after edging out Sevilla on penalties in punishing conditions under baking heat in Athens.
The City boss was furious at the scheduling of the game, but hailed his players’ mentality to rise to the challenge.
Julian Alvarez scored the only goal with a terrific strike into the top corner. City controlled the game throughout and could have won more comfortably but for a rare off night in front of goal for Erling Haaland.
“The difference with this group is the mentality for many, many years,” said Guardiola.
“Last year they did it and in the second game today they have done it. Nothing changes.”
