Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Dejounte Murray & Paolo Banchero Squash Beef
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To err is human; to forgive is divine. That is the message that Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is blessing us with this Sunday morning.
Last night, the two Seattle natives faced off at Jamal Crawford's Pro-Am League, The CrawsOver, for the second time in less than two weeks. On August 7, Murray and Banchero began feuding on the hardwood, which carried over into an exchange on social media.
Since then, it seems like everyone has fanned the flames to stir up controversy during the dog days of summer. Even the NBA scheduled a matchup between the Hawks and Magic for the season's second game.
Luckily, cooler heads prevailed last night. After Banchero slipped and fell on the floor (more on that later), Murray picked up the top draft pick and patted him on the head. Banchero tapped the veteran guard on his rear end, and just like that, the feud ended.
Game Recap
The spat between Murray and Banchero was not even the biggest storyline of the event. Several NBA stars were on the court. None bigger than LeBron James. Arguably the greatest player of all time has now participated in two Pro-Am games this summer.
Murray was on the same team as James and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. The three veterans were joined by rookie Milwaukee Bucks forward MarJon Beauchamp.
On the flip side, Banchero teamed up with the No. 2 draft pick Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren and No. 17 draft pick Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason. The young guns were led by Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon and NBA free agent and Seattle native Isaiah Thomas.
Like every star-studded Pro-Am game this summer, last night's exhibition was full of highlight dunks. Unfortunately for fans, the game was canceled in the second quarter due to condensation on the court.
Local fans lined up outside Seattle Pacific University's gymnasium several hours ahead of the event in hopes of seeing a once-in-a-lifetime game. Whether it was due to the crowd, Seattle's notoriously humid climate, or other factors, it quickly became clear that the floor was not safe for competition.
Highlights
If this game had taken place 20 years ago, fans would be left to imagine what went down at The CrawsOver. But, thanks to smartphones and tactful camera crews, this star-studded scrimmage will be remembered forever.
When searching for Pro-Am games or AAU highlights, the place to go is BallisLife. The YouTube channel has accrued over 3.5 million subscribers thanks to their hard work and dedication to documenting hoops action everywhere.
Fans did not get the full game they had hoped for, but several memorable highlights were created in less than one half of play. Check out BallisLife's video below. In the meantime, stay locked into AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.
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