Kyle O’Quinn is a professional basketball player. He is not an Olympic shot-putter. That makes this pass that much weirder, because Kyle O’Quinn soars this one like he’s trying to set a record.
Here’s my favorite part about this pass: because of the beauty of the GIF form, this ball never hits the ground. It just soars over everyone: over the Nets defense, over Jameer Nelson’s body, over the fans who duck at the last second, and flies out of frame, set to soar in perpetuity.
It’s the pass that never hits its target, but just flies away, to a distant netherworld where the foils of bad commercials live in harmony. It is the pass left to the sands of time, one that escaped the concept of basketball and enjoyed a life outside of our collective consciousness.
Farewell, Kyle O’Quinn pass. I hope you found happiness on the other side.
