Watch: DeAndre Jordan trolls young Suns fan by signing his head ahead of preseason matchup
DeAndre Jordan, as good as a basketball player he is, has also been known as a practical joker. In the Denver Nuggets' first preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, the former NBA All-Star interacted with a young basketball fan in a humorous way.
A boy who was sitting courtside wearing a Kevin Durant jersey asked Jordan to sign his basketball. The 6-foot-11 center happily obliged and even did more by signing the kid's head.
In 15 seasons in the NBA, Jordan managed to make it to the All-NBA First Team in 2016 and become a two-time rebounding leader in 2014 and 2015. This is his second year with the Denver Nuggets and won a championship with them last season.
Jordan was able to play 39 games in the 2022-23 season doing mostly backup center duty behind Nikola Jokic. He was able to average 5.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 15 minutes of playing time per game.
The Nuggets matchup with the Suns is their first of five preseason games. They will be facing the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers twice before starting the season on October 25 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
DeAndre Jordan fighting for the backup center role against Zeke Nnaji
In the race for the Denver Nuggets' backup center position behind two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, DeAndre Jordan and Zeke Nnaji emerged as the contenders. The performance of both players in the pre-season will be very much observed by the Nuggets coaching staff on who to prioritize entering the new season.
Jordan offers a more conventional style of basketball as he also leveraging from his 15-year experience in the league. On the other side, Nnaji is a promising young player who is known for his versatility and ability to switch easily on screens.
At 35 years old, Jordan is expected to earn $2 million and will be a free agent after this season. Meanwhile, Nnaji is just 22 years old and the team picked up his $4.3 million option to help in the big man rotation.
As the season unfolds, the choice of who to play between Zeke Nnaji and DeAndre Jordan will depend on the opponent that they will face and of course, their health.