Most of us would have had this fleeting thought while sitting on the couch watching an NBA game: that we could also make a few buckets like the pros if given the chance. Former NBA player and current Boston Celtics TV announcer Brian Scalabrine has been on a mission for over a decade to prove that no, we can’t.
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Scalabrine wasn’t an All-Star or even a regular starter during his NBA career. But there is something to be said for the fact that he stuck in the league for 11 years, and won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008.
The White Mamba (one of the greatest sports nicknames of all time, by the way) was never the most athletic guy on the court either. And now that he’s 46 years old, that’s even more glaring. That hasn’t, however, stopped Scalabrine from busting up recreational players who believe they’re ready for the big time. He recently took on well-known streetballer, George the Messiah, and dished out a 11-0 whooping.
A year or so after his NBA career which ended in 2012, Scalabrine had initiated ‘The Scallenge’, a series of one-on-one games against aspiring hoopers who thought they were better than an NBA player. Back then, he let loose with his iconic quote involving Lebron James.
“I’m way closer to LeBron than you are to me,” he used to tell the opposing player. Well, his 1v1 against George the Messiah proves just that.
This street hooper challenged Brian Scalabrine to a 1v1 and got beat 11-0 😅
(via @Cavemn_Causeway, 4thekill_/IG @TheProgramNYC_) pic.twitter.com/bKMSLwozL0
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 16, 2025
Scalabrine may not have been a world-beating superstar in his day. But even now, 13 years after his retirement, he can defeat even the best streetballers with relative ease. That’s a reflection of how good the NBA athletes truly are.
Scalabrine’s ‘Scallenge’ mission
Scalabrine once told Duncan Robinson on his podcast that he might not compare to Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook, but non-NBA players are completely out-matched against him.
This brought memories of ‘The Scallenge’ days. Scalabrine used to sift through video submissions from some of the best and most delusional New England-area ballers before choosing his victims.
It’s hilarious to compare Scalabrine to LeBron in any context, but what makes it so much better is that it’s true. He is closer to one of the greatest players of all time than a recreational player is to him.
Between his nickname and his quote, Scalabrine will always be tied to Kobe and LeBron. That’s pretty good company for a guy who scored fewer points in his 11-year career than either the Black Mamba or the King did in a single 82-game season.
Scalabrine has provided an invaluable service to the public for years, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that no matter how bad you think the worst guys in the NBA are, they’re still light years better than anyone else.
