When there is always a tight race for achieving the NBA title, there’s not much room left for error. Only excellence wins here. The excellence shown on the court is the only way to win over fans and peers alike.
This is why the NBA players often swap jerseys after the game to show respect for one another’s game. A similar thing happened between Gradey Dick and Anthony Black during the Raptor vs Magic game but this one caught the eyes for a very different reason.
Gradey Dick explains his viral jersey swap
Gradey Dick’s jersey swap with Anthony Black following the Toronto Raptors versus Orlando Magic game created a lot of buzz.
Postgame the two rookies were seen discussing the jersey exchange when Black went over to get a photographer to capture the moment. The photo that made noises had both of them holding the opponent’s jerseys in such an arrangement that grabbed headlines. Black was holding Dick’s jersey on the right while Dick held Black’s on the left.
When the Raptor’s rookie was asked about the incident, he cleared the smoke by calling Black his “guy” and added, “I’ve been playing with him since or against him and with him around middle school days. So that’s been my guy for a long time, and you know guys jersey swap for their boys. So, that’s my friend.”
Dick was further asked whether or not he had any plans to exchange jerseys with the other players in the league, the 20-year-old putting forward his condition stated, “If I played with him growing up and they’re my guys then I’ll jersey swap with him”. There are many players in NBA who could grab the same limelight as Black did if Dick decided to swap his jersey with them.
The game ended in Magic’s favor yet again by 111-96 recording their back-to-back win with the 12th-seeded team of the Eastern Conference table.
Raptors can clearly see how quickly Gradey Dick improving
The Toronto Raptors 1st round pick, Gradey Dick has upgraded himself and improved significantly that earned him the position in the Raptors roster.
The Raptors had assigned Dick to their G-League affiliate Raptors 905 in November following his poor shooting skills scoring 6 out of 30 attempts that month. The 20-year-old has been shooting at 40% from the 3-point range since early February whereas he was struggling at 20% in November.
He is currently averaging 6.9 points, 2 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting at a little above 42% from the floor and 36.4% from behind the 3-point arc.
In the absence of Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett, the newbie is getting more time on the floor that presumably increased his comfort level. Gradey can further improve his skills to certify himself as a key player in the squad.
