Adam Sandler Joins Pickup Basketball Game In Long Island & Fans Are Cracking Up Over It

First ‘Happy Gilmore,’ then ‘The Longest Yard,’ and now this? Adam Sandler proved he was a tri-sport athlete by playing pickup basketball in a pink polo shirt, and the crowd went wild.

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May 17, 2021 5:12PM EDT
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Actor and comedian Adam Sandler leaves the Hard Rock Hotel Presents Rock And Soul Super Saturday Night party at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Florida. 31 Jan 2009 Pictured: Adam Sandler. Photo credit: MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA700227_003.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]
Adam Sandler and Timothee Chalamet seen at the basketball court on 6th Avenue in New York City Adam Sandler and Timothee Chalamet seen playing Basketball, New York, USA - 20 Jul 2023
Adam Sandler and Timothee Chalamet seen at the basketball court on 6th Avenue in New York City Adam Sandler and Timothee Chalamet seen playing Basketball, New York, USA - 20 Jul 2023
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“Friend sent me this video of Adam Sandler hoopin’ on Long Island,” tweeted Anthony Puccio (aka @APOOCH) on Monday. “He’s out here playing pickup every day.” In the video, taken from Robert Whitehorn’s (aka @robobball3) Instagram story, Adam, 54, is seen enjoying the relaxed COVID restrictions on a community court. The Uncut Gems star rocks a loose-fitting pink polo, white and red shorts, and a full beard as he dribbles down the court. He sets up a shot for one teammate while setting up screens in another video.

The video quickly blew up online. “Adam Sandler is never completely dressed for the activity he’s doing,” tweeted one fan. “One chance to score off an Adam Sandler pass in your life, and it hits nothing but backboard, devastating,” said another. “Adam Sandler is a baller.  You want to be on his team in pickup.  He throws dimes!!!” tweeted @BaronDavis. “Adam Sandler looks like when you forgot your gym clothes in middle school but didn’t want to miss out on basketball day.” “I wanna hoop with Adam Sandler before I die.”

That second part might be more plausible than one thinks, as Esquire noted that Adam often rolls up to pick up basketball games. Adam’s frequency on the court has spawned “mixtapes of his adventures on the court,” per Esquire, “from an Atlanta LA Fitness to Christopher Morley Park in New York.” Adam has developed a reputation for having “major court vision and sweet passing skills,” and many fans and publications were disappointed that his teammates couldn’t capitalize on the scoring opportunities he was creating.

Adam Sandler attends the ‘Uncut Gems’ film premiere in 2019 (Shutterstock)

While fans marveled over seeing Adam join a bunch of strangers for some basketball, the last time he went viral, it was because someone didn’t recognize him. Dayanna Roda, a host at the IHOP in Manhasset, Long Island, shared a video of her telling Adam and one of his daughters that it would be 30 minutes before they could be seated. Adam, at the time, was wearing a mask, and he decided that he didn’t need pancakes that bad. “For the record, I only left the IHOP because the nice woman told me the all-you-can-eat deal didn’t apply to the milkshakes,” he tweeted on May 3.

Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. IHOP ran a “Milkshake Monday” promotion on May 10, promising to donate $1 for every IHOP milkshake purchased, up to $50,000, to the nonprofit Comedy Gives Back, “which works as a financial safety net for the comedic entertainment community, per the New York Post. Those who lived on Long Island could get All-You-Can-Drink-Milkshakes, prompting Adam to surprise Dayanna by visiting the Long Island location. “Couldn’t have been more excited!! Thank you, Adam Sandler!” she captioned her new video.