Boxing
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez is a die-hard Spurs fan, but has footwork and angles that align with this NBA Finals star
Rodriguez vs. Vargas on DAZN - Saturday
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez is a proud San Antonio, Texas native and San Antonio Spurs’ die-hard fan who will be looking for his squad to knot the NBA Finals tonight and get back home for a pivotal Game 5 on Saturday evening.
The same Saturday night will have Rodriguez vying to become a three-division world champion as he challenges for Antonio Vargas’ WBA bantamweight title at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, and live on DAZN.
While Rodriguez is unabashed about his fandom of the Spurs, his renowned footwork and angles are in alignment with another star of these NBA Finals — New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.
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Two completely different sports. Two completely different sensations. But hear me out.
Their immaculate footwork and the angles — not to mention headaches — they’re able to generate through it are an absolute common ground.
Both stars invite and welcome traffic in the paint, with Brunson routinely absorbing contact and reacting off of it, while ‘Bam’ manages the same in cramped quarters, deploying sharply timed counterpunches when triggered.
Brunson and Rodriguez are also masters of real estate, frequently pivoting off their footwork to better spacing options in creating angles that enhance their scoring chances.
How about their ability to deceive defenders with distractions? Both Brunson and Rodriguez can go up and under against the opposition or step right through any resistance offered with a setup that leaves them frozen, before pouncing with their true intentions.
They’re shifty in the pocket, crafty, and non-traditional, yet smooth and streaky at the same time.
Prior to the Knicks losing Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Brunson had authored a 13-game win streak during this postseason.
Rodriguez touts a pristine 23-0 record (16 knockouts) and has been on a tear with five straight wins by eye-popping knockouts.
When Brunson enters his flow state, defenders don’t know if he’s going to pull up off the dribble for a three-pointer, drag them through the depths of hell for a midrange jumper or pinball and blow past them for a teardrop.
When Rodriguez enters his zone, he’s as creative and explosive of a scorer that the sweet science has to offer in devising his finishes — even if they’re more instinctual than plotted.
“Definitely it was instinct,” Rodriguez recently told me about crediting his current knockout streak. “Whenever the knockouts happened, you know, I don’t even know what I did to be honest with you.”
Quite frankly, he doesn’t have to. As long as he’s somehow manufacturing awestruck results, fans will be locked in. The same can be said for Brunson.
Each star has footwork that opens up lanes to glory, as Rodriguez winning Saturday night and going on to challenge pound-for-pound ruler Naoya Inoue would mark the defining moment of his career, just as Brunson steering the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years would.
‘Bam’ might appreciate this comparison … though I’m sure he’d prefer to accept it more willingly by holding his newly won WBA bantamweight title, while watching his Spurs hoist the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy instead of Brunson.
