🏀 This NBA "bust" grows apples...

We just checked our subscriber count—this email went out to over 50,000 Enjoyers! You guys are the best. You know what else is the best? Apples. Darko Milicic can’t get enough of ‘em. But more on that later…

Today’s Lineup

Bahamian Cinderella 🏝️🇧🇸 The island nation just knocked off a top team…

Golden Years 👴 This former “bust” now grows apples, and is LOVING it!

Record Setter 🏆 A’ja Wilson made history and dropped some insane buckets.

But first, a little trivia:

Basketball, meet the Bahamas!

Let’s talk about the biggest Cinderella story in international basketball right now: the Bahamas. The Bahamian national team is making waves 🌊 after they upset Argentina 82-75 in an Olympic pre-qualifying tournament that could send them to Paris in 2024!

Bahamas vs. Argentina was a David vs. Goliath situation. The small island nation has never sent a team to the Olympics, whereas Argentina was the last non-USA team to win gold back in ‘04. That trophy was mainly thanks to Manu Ginobili’s awesomeness, but after his retirement, Goliath is looking more and more like a short king.

And with the Bahamian team boasting the likes of Buddy Hield, Deandre Ayton, and Eric Gordon, it’s like David has a lightsaber, flamethrower, and their own personal Iron Man suit.

On Sunday, the squad was led by Gordon's electric 27 points and 17 more from Hield. Is there something in the sapphire Bahamian water that creates absolute snipers from behind the 3-point arc? Deandre Ayton, set to eliminate the negative buzz around his postseason play, added 10 points and 21 boards. If only we could see him go up against Luis Scola 🇦🇷…

This victory advances the Bahamas to another Olympic qualifying tournament in July 2024, offering them a chance to secure a spot in the Paris Games! We love new names in international ball, from the Bahamas in the Olympics to Morocco in the World Cup. And let’s not forget Team Enjoy in the 2025 Pickleball World Classic…

Golden Years ⭐️

You may know Darko Milicic as the guy who Detroit drafted after LeBron James and before Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The guy that went second overall in a loaded 2003 draft class and went on to average six points, four rebounds, and one assist over his ENTIRE career. He’s pretty much synonymous in NBA circles with the word “bust”.

But expectations don’t dictate happiness. Milcic came from war-torn Serbia, and he didn’t see basketball as a passion. Rather, the sport was his way out of financial instability and physical danger. And he succeeded.

Darko spent ten years in the NBA and made $53 million, eventually finding a life of financially-sound happiness in retirement. So what does he do?

Apples.

Over the past eleven years, Darko has been building an apple farming EMPIRE in the Balkans. The retired ex-blonde hooper owns over 125 acres filled with apple trees and exports the apples to Dubai, Russia and Africa. He might struggle to tell you who played in last year’s NBA Finals or stutter when asked who won the last couple MVPs, but he can definitely deliver passioned explanations on apple varieties, orchard layout, and tree health.

His future ambitions? Cherries. 🍒 

Frozen Moments

• A’ja Wilson tied the WNBA single-game scoring record by doing this…😱 

• Bruce Brown posted a heartfelt goodbye on Instagram. 🥲

• We can’t believe Cooper Flagg hit this! 😳 

What We’re Enjoying

Captain America! 🇺🇸 Christian Pulisic just scored his first goal for his new club, AC Milan! Check out the Team USA Captain’s beautiful long-range strike in the 20th minute.

Plus, if any of y’all need some last minute fantasy football help but don’t wanna do all the research yourself, this video gives a tier list of the top 30 options you should consider near the top of your order! We just had our Enjoyers 🏈 draft last night:

Signing Off

If we had an Enjoyers draft, we’d pick you first! Nah, Wemby’s ceiling is just too high. But you’re a great number two option! If you make a better second pick than Darko, awesome. If not, there’s always apple farming! Just some food for thought as you take on this Wednesday…

-Conor Geelan

Trivia Answer: Though they moved from the ABA to NBA in 1976, the Denver Nuggets have always been in Denver! Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets were formerly in San Diego, the Atlanta Hawks were in St. Louis, and the Philadelphia 76ers used to be the Syracuse Nationals!

Before you go…