Why Adin Ross Could Be The "Jake Paul" Of Basketball

Image Via Faze Clan On Twitter

If you didn't know, Adin Ross played FazeRug in a 1v1 basketball game for $25,000. The event was hosted by House Of Highlights and seemed to be a success as the two played best of 3 games, up to 11 points each. Note, 3 pointers count as two points with everything below the arc counting as 1 point. Lets dive in and recap this matchup.

First off, I applaud these two internet personalities for diversifying their skillsets. With celebrity boxing becoming a hot commodity, it's smart to see these two streamers trailblaze their own opportunities in a different sport. If you read my previous blog, I was pushing for influencers to establish their brand in other sports outside of boxing as this is only the beginning for this industry. 

With that being said, Rug took GM1 winning 11-7. He seemed to have the momentum over Adin early on as he hit three straight 3 pointers...Rug had RANGE, plain and simple.

GM2, Adin Ross came back. Adin was down 12-11 and in the YouTube video, FazeAdapt was a little premature in calling Rug the winner. In these games, the players have to win by 2 points and all team Faze had to do was score one more point. Instead Rug shoots a deeeeeeep three and misses, which was crucial for Adin's chances. After that , Adin capitalized by hitting a 3 pointer to put him up 13-12. A few possessions later, Adin picked up a loose ball and layed it in for the win. It was all downhill for Rug from there.

GM3 was first to three points, win by two. After quite a few possessions and both individuals clearly exhausted, Adin Ross posted up Rug and finished with a smooth hook shot on the right side. The next play later, Ross hits a contested deep 3 pointer for the win. It was too late for Rug.

Personally, I thought Rug was the more talented player but he shot too many deep/contested 3's when they weren't needed. Adin took advantage and won at the end of the day fair and square. Ross seems already committed to represent influencers in the sport of basketball having already challenged fellow streamer Flight to a game. 

At the end of the day, this is huge for Ross as he gets publicity for his game and has a large enough following to challenge other celebs. His work is cut out for him as he is close with Sheck Wes, Bronny James, 24k Golden and others who love to play the sport as well. Basketball is very largely popular in the rap community and with the majority of Adin's demographic being in this space we could see an even larger overlap between the two industries in the near future. Safe to say, Adin is using a similar blueprint that Jake Paul used in boxing...the sky is the limit for the youngster.