Check out the clip above from “The Diary of Justin Bieber,” which will air on MTV at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
ESPN columnist Scoop Jackson isn’t sold on the 5-foot-5, 16-year-old Canadian pop star, who is starting a world tour this summer.
“I guess if he used the Internet and homemade videos to get discovered in music, why not do the same to get into the NBA, right? I mean, the guy that discovered him, Usher, does have some connects with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Who knows?” Jackson told MTV. “By looking at this, you can tell that Justin at least went to basketball camp with this ‘two-hand dribble weave’ drill. This is one of those things that you learn at about 11 or 12 years old. It’s something you use to work on your coordination, nothing you ever use in a game situation. It also seems like he’s spent a lot of time watching And1 mixtapes. Let’s call it ‘Canadian Hot Sauce.'”
But what about the halfcourt shot?
“That was legit. But you couldn’t see any wrist action, so it’s hard to tell if he has a good form or a legit jump shot,” Jackson said. “The wrist is always a dead giveaway. If he came down with a ‘goose neck’ on that half-court shot, I’d conclude that the kid could shoot. So, although impressive, it didn’t show enough to gauge how nice his game might be.”
That’s cold, Scoop!
“I’ll say this: Justin Bieber looks like he probably has a little game,” Jackson said. “But on both fronts — music and hoops — I don’t think Justin Timberlake has anything to worry about. At least, not yet.”