I’ve got a major confession: I kind of hate the Mannequin Challenge. It’s not that I don’t find it funny, it’s just that every time you see it, it’s being filmed from a smartphone camera and it’s clear that everyone has been carefully coached on what to do and how to position themselves for the brief moment they’re on camera. This video of the entire Korean Basketball League all-star game nailing the goofy challenge live, with a packed house of fans, is on a whole different level, and it gives me faith that the Mannequin Challenge might still do some good for humanity after all.
The teams, which are made up of the best senior and junior players from the KBL, played their match-up as expected for roughly half the game. Then, one of the junior players allowed the shot clock to hit zero just as he released his shot, and as the buzzer sounded, both teams froze in place.
It was perfectly timed, and would have been great even if it had been just the active players engaged in the trick, but it wasn’t. The players on the bench, coaches, assistants, and even the referees were all in on the plan, too, making it a truly impressive example of organization, planning, and execution.
The court remained frozen in time for about 15 seconds or so before resuming normal play, which gave the hundreds of fans in attendance just enough time to whip out their smartphones and capture some photos and short clips for posterity. Bravo, KBL.
