Posted on October 20, 2008

Amateur Player Scores Internet Hit by Beating NBA Guard

AFP, Oct. 17, 2008

A amateur basketball player has sparked an Internet sensation by beating New Jersey Nets starting point guard Devin Harris in a game of one-on-one in London.

Harris, a four-year NBA veteran, agreed to 28-year-old Stuart Tanner’s challenge at an outdoor court in Stockwell, south London, while the American was in the capital for a pre-season exhibition game earlier this month.

In a clip of the game, which has been viewed more than 3.5 million times on video-sharing website YouTube, Harris misses his first shot from long-range, which Tanner then rebounds.

The Briton, who is working towards being a personal trainer, then used a head-fake to get Harris off his feet before launching a mid-range jumper which he swished.

On the next play, Tanner surprised Harris by putting the ball between the1.90-metre guard’s legs before scoring on a lay-up and running off the court in jubilation to the crowd’s roaring approval.

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[Watch the video here.]