Wrong shorts briefly keeps Beasley out of game
Michael Beasley has to sprint back to the locker room after it comes to his attention that he is wearing the wrong shorts. (0:19)
OKLAHOMA CITY — With his team trailing by double-digits in the first quarter and looking for a spark off the bench, Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton signaled for scoring savant Michael Beasley to come in off the bench.
The referees in Thursday’s Lakers-Thunder game admitted they made a mistake by calling a foul on Lonzo Ball near the end of regulation.
Only one problem: Beasley was wearing the wrong shorts.
As Beasley tore off his warm-up jacket and began to touch his sneakers to the court grip sticky pad as he readied to check in, he looked down to see that he had on black practice shorts, rather than the Lakers’ gold uniform shorts.
Michael Beasley tried to check in wearing his practice shorts! 😂#Shaqtin pic.twitter.com/uw1izvCgtq
Upon realizing the gaffe, he sprinted through the tunnel to the Lakers’ visiting locker room at Chesapeake Energy Arena to change into the full proper uniform.
He quickly returned to the sidelines and checked into the game for Lonzo Ball with 3:09 left in the first quarter and the Lakers trailing 32-17. The Lakers went on to rally from that 15-point deficit to beat Oklahoma City 138-128 in overtime.
It was the latest blooper for Beasley, the former No. 2 pick, who has made as much of a name for himself in the league for conducting colorful interviews and making memorable blunders — like rubbing former teammate Anthony Tolliver‘s knee thinking it was his own — as he has for his talent on the court.