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Prized Kentucky Freshman Nearly Breaks Back On Botched Dunk In Pickup Game (Video)

This is why John Calipari doesn’t want you playing pickup basketball, Nerlens Noel. Because when you go up for two-handed dunks, lose your balance, and hit the deck on the hard concrete, Kentucky’s title hopes briefly hit the deck with you.

Noel fell during a pickup game with some little kids — he was playing with them as a thank-you to the Wildcats fans who camped out for tickets to “Big Blue Madness.” “Big Blue Madness” is a month away, mind you, and is an event that takes place on the eve of the first day of practice. So yes, the Kentucky kids love their basketball.

Luckily, Noel wasn’t hurt. Neither was the little kid that he landed on, although, as The Dagger’s Jeff Eisenberg notes, it’s entirely likely that no one present noticed the small human wedged underneath their prized freshman until after it was apparent he was okay. Video, here.

[Kentucky Sports Radio, The Dagger]

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