The NBA has had its share of quirks throughout its history, but this Shawn Marion story may just be the weirdest. As Reddit user 'LeBronRaymoneJamesSr' pointed out, the Matrix played two games for two teams on December 19, 2007.
How in the world did that happen?
The details
According to a Reddit post , the Atlanta Hawks faced off against the Miami Heat that day, with the Hawks emerging victorious at 117-111.
However, the Heat filed a protest after realizing center Shaquille O'Neal was mistakenly thrown out for committing six fouls with only 51.9 seconds remaining. It turns out the Big Fella only had five, so the team used that argument and won. It's one of only six times a protest was positively granted. So far, 44 protests have been filed in the league office.
The NBA decided to play the remainder of the game—all 52 seconds—before the two teams' next meeting, which happened to be on March 8, 2008. The Hawks' last three points were overturned since it was made within the 52-second frame.
Nobody scored when the teams played out the remaining seconds, so the final tally stayed at 114-111. Fifteen minutes later, the Hawks and the Heat played another game in which Atlanta beat Miami one more time, 97-94.
Related: Julius Erving believes no player is similar to him in the modern NBA: “I was a small forward, but I really played like a power forward”
Marion's role in the chaos
So, where does The Matrix figure in this fiasco? Well, Marion and O'Neal were dealt for each other before the 2008 trade deadline. The two-time All-NBA member played in the 52-second game in O'Neal's place, who's now with the Phoenix Suns.
The NBA officially listed the protest game to have taken place on December 19, 2007. Marion "technically" logged 52 seconds in that game because he suited up in the replay. But here's the twist: The versatile forward also played a December 19 game as a member of the Suns in a loss against the Dallas Mavericks. Therefore, in the NBA's record books, The Matrix played two games for two teams on December 19, 2007.
Another example of this
As weird as this scenario is, it wasn't the first time something of that nature happened in the NBA. According to another Reddit user , Eric Money, Harvey Catchings, and Ralph Simpson played two games for two teams on March 23, 1979. The NBA had the New Jersey Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers replay the final 17 minutes and 50 seconds of a November 8, 1978, game due to a successful protest.
In the first game four months prior, Money played for the Nets, while Catchings and Simpson played for the Sixers. At the time of the replay, the trio changed places as they were traded for each other before the trade deadline.
Related: Shawn Marion wasn't sure about playing power forward for D'Antoni's Suns: "Look who I had to guard, but I was like 'Ok fu** it, Let's try'"
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