NBA Prospects Face Surprising Instagram DM Challenge at Combine—Who Can Impress the Most Models?

Just when you thought the NBA Draft Combine couldn’t get any more competitive (or, frankly, any more 21st-century), scouts have tossed away the old playbook and started asking the really tough questions—like, can these rookies truly slide into DMs with the same grace as they slide into a paint? Seriously, in today’s league, is a player’s meme-game and thumbs-per-minute ratio every bit as crucial as their wingspan? Watching these young prospects—Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, Kasparas Jakučionis—navigate Instagram’s treacherous waters, it’s less about vertical leap and more about reaction speed to a left-on-read. Who knew the performance anxiety of being left “seen” by a professional model could torpedo your NBA stock faster than a missed free throw? Suddenly, the stakes—and the emojis—have never been higher. If you’re ready to witness how this new breed of basketball talent handles the league’s true full-court press, the unfiltered details await. <a href="https://theonion.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/NBACombineNIBIHAGR.jpg”>LEARN MORE.

CHICAGO—Evaluating whether top college talent like Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, and Kasparas Jakučionis can actually clean up on a professional level, the NBA Draft Combine started this week by testing how well prospects direct-message models on Instagram. “Sometimes these players’ messages look good on paper, or they’re showing off on Instagram Reels, but then you see them in person and realize they don’t have what it takes to DM at an NBA level,” said Charlotte Hornets scout Cam Twiss, who explained that prospects are assessed on their timing, emoji form, shot selection, and a host of other essential DMing skills. “Some of them are volume players firing off 30 or 40 DMs a night, while others guys are going to mix it up in the chat and fight for every reply, and the combine gives us a chance to see how they measure up. These aren’t some local college girls they are dealing with. These are elite women with careers and skills and a professional-level block game. You need a lot more speed and finesse than just texting ‘What’s up?’ with an eggplant. These models are getting hit up by DM legends like LeBron James and Paul George, and we need to predict how these kids will compete with that.” At press time, top NBA prospect Cooper Flagg was plummeting down draft boards after reportedly getting blocked by three Chicago-area models in a row.