Veteran New Orleans Pelicans center DeAndre Jordan answered the call to start against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. It was just the third game of his age-37 season.
DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond combined for 27 rebounds on Saturday night. The year is 2026.
The entire New Orleans Pelicans fanbase was somewhat confused as the starting rotation was announced, and Jordan was listed as the center to begin the game.
This was just his third game of the season. He signed just before the matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, played 22 minutes over the next two games, and hadn't seen the court since.
There were some mocking the move. By the end of it, no one was laughing. The Pelicans beat the Philadelphia 76ers 126-111, and Jordan played great.
The 37-year-old didn't just log a couple of minutes here and there in this game. He played 32 minutes. That's more than his season total coming into this matchup. New Orleans was +13 during his minutes. He grabbed six points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.
He matched up well with the 76ers' starting center, Drummond. He's another longtime NBA center that some are surprised to still see around. He's a few years younger than Jordan, but it ended up being Jordan who came out on top.
New Orleans coach James Borrego said after the game that it was something he had slept on the night before. Friday's game saw the Pelicans suffer an ugly 139-118 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Borrego needed something to wake his team up.
Jordan may not have a ton of minutes logged on the court this season, but he's constantly working behind the scenes. Everyone on the team respects him. Seeing him stay ready and then come out and perform as he did was a great learning opportunity for the younger players on the team.
"Very proud of the group and DeAndre [Jordan] deserves a ton of credit, number one," said Borrego after the win. "Even more so than the numbers, the stats, the defense. It's been his leadership, his impact on our entire program."
Jordan found out that he was playing when he got to Smoothie King Center before the game. Borrego had asked him if he was ready; he said he was and the rest was history.
That was an exciting moment for Jordan and also a testament to just how close this group has grown over this season.
"It was cool to be able to go out there and play tonight. A couple of guys had to sacrifice. That's what we're starting to do and learning how to do as a team. It's all about the next guy, your brother, and doing whatever is going to help us get a win that night," said the veteran after the game.