Nathan Wilson has made a name for himself as one of the elite defenders at the AFL level, but the Mandurah-raised footy prodigy swapped the oval for a basketball court when he shot hoops with Houston Rockets NBA star Eric Gordon last week.
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Along with Greater Western Sydney teammate Matthew Flynn, Wilson took on Gordon, one of the NBA’s most lethal three-point shots, in a game of H.O.R.S.E and surprisingly held his own.
WATCH: Nathan Wilson shoots hoops with NBA star Eric Gordon
For those unfamiliar with the game, players take turns shooting the ball from areas on the court.
Each time a player is unable to follow up his opponent’s shot with a score, they earn a letter. The first to spell horse is the loser.
Wilson was surprisingly impressive taking on the Houston Rocket, going down by just one letter when Gordon decided to hit a half-court shot that Wilson narrowly missed on his next attempt.
Considering Gordon actually won the NBA’s three-point contest this year, it’s not really surprising he was able to best a pair of AFL players.
The sharp-shooter also took out the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award for the 2016/17 season, given to the league’s best player coming off the bench.
Wilson and Flynn also presented Gordon with his own Giants jersey, and did their best to teach him to bounce an Australian football.
Shooting hoops with an NBA star is another string in the bow for Mandurah’s Wilson, but it’s fair to assume his gaze would now be firmly fixed on an upcoming finals series with the Giants.
The local lad’s side is second favourite to take out this year’s premiership, sitting behind only the Adelaide Crows.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
