The oddest and funniest moments from Monday’s Media Day

Media day is, on the whole, a pretty unexciting enterprise. It’s basically a glorified picture day with some interviews that is mostly notable because, by this point in the offseason, we’re all just aching for the season to start and are desperate for any sign of its imminent arrival.

Nevertheless, every year there are a few moments that stand out for their oddness or silliness. Here are the best moments from yesterday’s Media Day, the ones that may not matter most but are certainly the most memorable, humorous, or confusing.

Kawhi Leonard laughed

We’ve seen Kawhi Leonard do comedy before in the H-E-B commercials that the San Antonio Spurs participate in every year, but in those, he was more of a straight man, leaving the hijinks and laughter to his teammates/co-stars. Yesterday, though, in his first official appearance as a member of the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi decided to let his guard down and show a more human side and we all heard him laugh for the first time. It was an odd laugh, one that didn’t sound quite right. It was as if he spent the entire offseason watching the video of Jeff Goldblum’s weird laugh in Jurassic Park, believing that laugh was emblematic of all other laughs, and wanted to try it out for himself. Now, we can only hope that the public roasting of his laugh will not scar Kawhi, keeping him from laughing again.

J.R. Smith dressed up as Bob Ross for some reason

I think any explanation of why this image exists would only dim its ineffable magic so I’m refusing to inquire any further, choosing to merely bask in its strange beauty.

Enes Kanter revealed his kink

Sure, we all love the NBA Playoffs, but perhaps not as much as Enes Kanter who told media yesterday that “When I think of the Playoffs, my nipples get hard.” One can only hope he was speaking metaphorically, or else spending any time with him from April to June must be a real awkward experience.

Victor Oladipo loves movies, or at least four movies. Also, Noodles and Company

I was going to roast Oladipo for this, but then I remembered that I watch syndicated episodes of Seinfeld that I’ve seen at least 10 to 15 times before every weekday evening at 10 p.m.. I also eat Halal chicken from the place downtown at least 41 times per annum, so I really have no room to criticize him here.

Elfrid Payton cut his hair

After several years of rocking a haircut that could best be described as a “modified Weeknd,” Elfrid Payton finally decided to cut his air, aging himself at least half a decade in the process. I’ve always kind of believed that part of the reason Payton has not been a very good shooter so far is because his hair was in his way, blocking his line of sight.  If my theory is at all correct, this haircut should really help, and the Pelicans will have gotten the steal of the summer.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a really long name

I’m a big fan of the jersey design here. Rather than make the font smaller and cramming it all in one horizontal line, the Clippers turned it into an arc, making it look like the frame of a really fancy door. I love it.

Andrew Wiggins posed with the Target dog in the Wolves’ new throwback uniforms

Shout out to cross promotional branding or something. Also, those throwbacks look nice. And I know that the dog is just wearing the 19 jersey because it’s the 2018-19 season, but I’m choosing to believe that it’s really a tribute to former Timberwolves legend Sam Cassell.

Udonis Haslem climbed all over the dang hoop

Deciding to really go big for what may be his final Media Day ever, Udonis Haslem decided to climb up onto a hoop and pose all over it. Honestly, it looked pretty dangerous and I’m kind of surprised no one from the Heat stepped in to stop it, but I’m also glad they didn’t. I mean, those pictures should turn out really well.

Next: Every NBA team's biggest celebrity fan

For some reason, the Kings hired a magician

They never really followed up on this original post, so I have no clue what Anna the Magician was doing there and in what capacity, but I felt the journalistic need to let you know that this happened anyway, whatever this is.

https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1044339207802474496

Robert Williams thought the Gatorade was real; it was not

Deandre Ayton did not love his media day experience and is not eager to repeat it