Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen went viral Sunday night. But, in his case, it was for the wrong reasons.
Late in the second quarter of the Warriors’ 96-82 victory over the Cavs at Chase Center, Allen got caught guarding Klay Thompson on a defensive switch at the perimeter. Thompson quickly disposed of Allen with a neat crossover and dribbled once more before propelling himself into the air for a posterizing dunk over Allen’s teammates Lauri Markkanen and Lamar Stevens.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE It was Thompson telling the basketball world he is, indeed, back.
In an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Chris Mullin and Dorell Wright following the game, Thompson channeled his inner Michael Jordan when describing the dunk.
“I got the big on a switch,” Thompson said. “He reached, I teached.”
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
The quote refers to a legendary story about Jordan, in the middle of his second retirement from the NBA at age 36, putting Chicago Bulls youngster Corey Benjamin in his place.
RELATED: Steph and Klay's partnership one NBA unlikely to see again
Benjamin, the No. 28 overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, trash-talked Jordan over the phone saying he could beat the basketball legend in a game of one-on-one. In classic Jordan fashion, he showed up to Bulls practice for the sole purpose of defeating Benjamin. Unsurprisingly, he was successful.
When Benjamin attempted to steal the ball during their bout, Jordan calmly responded, “You reach, I teach.” He proceeded to nail a mid-range jumper right in Benjamin’s face.
Allen knows how that goes.
“That felt so good,” Thompson said of the dunk. “I didn’t dunk the whole last two months scrimmaging. It must be something when I get in the game – competition, I don’t know. Man, it was fun.”
With millions of views across social platforms, Allen learned quite the public lesson from the Splash Brother.