Boban is a delight
As a player, Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic is totally unremarkable. He’s played five seasons for five different teams, never averaging more than 14 minutes per game. Set aside the fact that he’s 7’4″, and he’s just like any of the dozens of role players who fill out NBA rosters.
And yet, he’s a fan favorite everywhere he goes. During his rookie season in San Antonio, one Spurs fan got Boban’s face shaved into his head. In Philadelphia, fans eagerly followed the bromance between Marjanovic and Tobias Harris (Bobi and Tobi, as they were known).
Being a role player like Marjanovic means it’s difficult to break through on a national stage, though. He’s never going to light up the scoreboard or hit a game-winning shot. But the guys on TNT’s Inside the NBA were kind enough to spend part of Wednesday night’s Mavericks-Clippers halftime show highlighting Marjanovic’s contributions. (He had 10 points and seven rebounds in the first half, finishing the game with 13 and nine in just 10 minutes on the court.) After Dallas upset the Clips, 127–114, it was Boban—not Luka Doncic or Kristaps Porzingis—who put on the headset to talk with Charles, Shaq, Kenny and Ernie. He’d never been interviewed by those guys before, and he was so excited to finally get the chance.
“It’s my first time here and I’m nervous, and I’m scared because my headphones don’t fit on my ears and my head,” he said to start the interview. “If I break it, I’ll buy a new one.”
The interview was five minutes long, and it doesn’t really work to pick out just one clip and say, “This is why you should love Boban.” Carve a couple of minutes out of your day and watch the whole thing. His infectious enthusiasm, sharp sense of humor and humility were on full display throughout the whole segment. He didn’t fall back on we-played-hard-type clichés. He balanced serious answers with comedy. It was exactly the kind of interview fans want to see from a player. It took a guy who’s literally larger than life and humanized him.
If I absolutely must pick one highlight from the interview, it was Boban’s interaction with Shaq at the very end. During the halftime show, Shaq bestowed Boban with a new nickname: “You Rang?” (It’s a reference to the catchphrase of the hulking butler Lurch on The Addams Family.) Before Shaq let Boban go, he wanted to hear him do his best Lurch impression.
How can you not love that guy? In a league full of strong personalities, he’s as fun as anybody.
