Last week, we shared with you the seemingly unbelievable news that a Lebanese basketball player named Mohammad El-Akkari had scored 113 points in a single FIBA Asia game. The FIBAAsia.net report of El-Akkari's performance in Tripoli basketball club Mouttahed's win over Bejjeh included a crazy stat line — 40-of-69 from the floor, 32-of-59 from 3-point range and one lone free throw, which seems almost like a deliberate artistic flourish, in context — that inspired widespread disbelief. "Video or it didn't happen," the masses cried.
Well, thanks to the just-created-this-weekend lebbasketball YouTube channel, we now have video evidence of every bucket that Akkari (no El here) scored, complete with a handy tally in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. However, in scandalous news that is likely to shock the Internet to its very core, that tally suggests that Akkari only scored a measly 109 points rather than a full, proud 113. BDL's seven-part investigation, "What Happened to the Other Four Points?: A Closer Look," will run following the NBA Finals, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, check out Akkari's pour-it-on performance. Abandon all hope of seeing defense, ye who enter here:
It is rare for a player to score 100 points in a professional basketball game, but it is probably even rarer that video of the feat reveals it to look so ... well, you can't call 100+ points "underwhelming," but you know what I mean. Be honest: As you watched this, you were thinking, "I bet I could drop like 30 on Bejjeh right now, without even really warming up," right?
Akkari's shot selection shows that he is clearly a longtime devotee of 82games.com who is well-versed in the efficiency of the corner 3-pointer, since, by my count, he hit 13 of them (plus a couple that looked to come from right at the break of the arc that could be construed as corner connections). The video also includes one of the great awkward layup attempts of all time at the 2:11 mark, which frankly makes this whole thing worthwhile on its own.
So, in conclusion: Not an April Fools joke; possibly not a 113-point game; certainly not any real defense to speak of; still indisputably a whole truckload of points scored by Mr. Mohammad Akkari in the space of a single game. We now return you to your regularly scheduled NBA stretch run, already in progress.
Hat-tip to Jack Moore of Buzzfeed Sports.
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