Muresan Lives! (In The ABA)

After he read about the promotion on Deadspin last week, Danny Groner of Silver Spring, Md. decided to attend the ABA game featuring guest player Gheorghe Muresan. Because he was really there. He files this report:

I had been hearing rumors for a couple weeks that Gheorghe Muresan had been playing in a local JCC league, and then I read on Deadspin that Muresan would be playing in an ABA game vs. the Maryland Nighthawks on Sunday night. With that news, I decided to attend. It was not a very exciting game, as the Nighthawks eked out a 126-120 win thanks to a barrage of three pointers, some of which were worth four points thanks to the league's 3D rule that rewards you for backcourt steals by giving you an extra point on the ensuing basket. And, yes, the rumors turned out to be true; Muresan showed up as warmups ended.

To say he was insanely out of shape is an understatement. He struggled to get up and down the court and couldn't figure out how to play inside a league that basically has no use for a 7"7 giant.

On the court, he looked like Carl from "Big Fish" trying to play at the local rec center. In total, he scored zero points in about four minutes of play. He did, however, sign a kajillion autographs and posed for dozens of pictures. All this while promoting his summer camps where they teach children mainly how to swing your elbows. I did get to shake his hand after halftime, too, when his hand completely cupped mine and didn't allow me even to grip back. And here is a picture of my friend — who is six-foot-four — standing beside Muresan. This picture is worth about one word: Wow.

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