Nets rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson recently acquired a Phunkee Duck, a type of hoverboard gaining fast popularity among NBA players and fans alike. He rode it into the arena Sunday afternoon before the team’s victory over the Detroit Pistons. (I can’t confirm if that was his first time riding it to the arena, but if so, the Nets are undefeated when Hollis-Jefferson rides into Barclays Center on a Phunkee Duck.)
His teammates are a bit greener on them. Thaddeus Young has ridden them, joking that he might ride one to the arena from his Brooklyn condo for games. But Bojan Bogdanovic, as the video below by Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record shows, is a little newer to the game.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson teaches Bojan Bogdanovic how to ride a hoverboard. pic.twitter.com/Hvv1qHoz6I
— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) November 30, 2015
As you can see, it doesn’t come quite so naturally to Bogdanovic, who can only move about five feet before he has to step off. It’s not a natural motion to stand on something that moves forward under you as the ground stays the same, even if it does look 100 times cooler than the more natural Segway.
Not everyone finds them so appealing. The Cleveland Cavaliers recently banned their players from riding hoverboards in the arena as part of an overhaul concerning “professionalism and promptness,” but that hasn’t stopped other teams from getting in on the fun.
But Hollis-Jefferson is pretty smooth on the ‘board, and has been even more solid in the team’s starting lineup: the Nets have outscored opponents by 8.4 points per 100 possessions when he shares the floor with Brook Lopez, Jarrett Jack, Joe Johnson, and Young. When Bogdanovic has replaced him with that core, the team has been outscored by close to 11 points per 100. Maybe the secret’s in learning the Phunk.