Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young is a special character on the court with a personality that is impossible to ignore. On Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, Young added a new move to his repertoire of internet memes and viral moments: the hip thrust.
Young, who is a Michael Jackons fan, would even have the late King of Pop raising an eye brow after those oncourt moves. However, Young has good reason to be gyrating on the court.
Young continues to blaze nets from long range and now ranks sixth in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage, 44.9 percent, and is shooting 56 percent from distance over his last nine games. On Tuesday, Young hit six of his 11 attempts from beyond the arc but none more memorable that the one that had the 31-year-old dancing like no one was watching, even though he was the center of attention for 18,897 fans in attendance and many, many more watching at home or on their phones, tablets and computers.
While Young struggled to express his unique joy in recent years, the eccentric guard appears to be freed from all shakles under new coach Luke Walton. Recently, Young offered another dancing three-pointer that led to the internet proclaiming, "Live your life with the confidence of Nick Young shooting a 3."
Young, who has the ability to opt out of his current contract at the end of the season, may have another reason to be dancing with every made shot. The 31-year-old looked like he had one foot out of the NBA at the end of the 2015-16 season, but entering 2017, Young is playing arguably the best basketball of his career and could be due a big payday over the summer.
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But, then again, Young may just be celebrating because that's who his is. Heck, the former USC Trojan famously even celebrated a three-pointer that didn't drop to create one of the most entertaining NBA clips in recent history.
Never change, Nick.
