Not cool, dude.
There’s no doubt we’ve seen NBA players get hit in the nuts before, but I can’t recall the last time someone was quite as attentive to ensuring he hit his opponent in the balls as Cam Spencer was with Nikola Jokic on Wednesday night.
It would be a push to say the initial shoulder from Spencer was accidental, but I’ll try to buy into that argument for a second. Assuming the first strike was incidental, what the heck happened after that? He immediately went for another groin shot on Joker, and when there wasn’t an immediate reaction he went for another strike from behind — just to make sure he got all of it. That third hit looks a lot more like punching a butt that hitting his groin, but it’s just super weirdo behavior from Cam Spencer.
The broadcast showed multiple angles as referees reviewed the foul and upgraded it to a Flagrant 1.
Perhaps the most astonishing part of this is Spencer shaking his head in disbelief when the referees ruled on the play. Like, dude, if you’re doing to be intentionally dirty on the play then at least own it, not this sheepish “woe is me” approach to getting caught.
The Nuggets went on to win 123-118. Jokic finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists.