By Lynda Cohen
Before Adam Sandler played the Hard Rock Atlantic City’s Mark Etess Arena on Friday, he took to the basketball court with some of the city’s kids. Abdul Hawkins and some of his friends were playing basketball on Pennsylvania Avenue on Friday afternoon when a car pulled up.
“That’s Adam Sandler,” one of the men said.
“I thought he was lying,” the 12-year-old recalled, “until we saw him. We were all amazed.”
Abdul grabbed a short video of Sandler.
“You guys hoop, we’re gonna hoop. It’s all good,” Sandler is heard saying.
Abdul’s friend Jahlil Boston grabbed a selfie.
“Pop out at penn ave,” Jahlil wrote on the snap, “that’s really him no cap.”
Then Sandler offered a full-court game of five-on-five.
“We were like, ‘Heck yeah, that’s dope!’” Abdul recalled.
Abdul said Sandler was funny just like in his movies.
“He was on my team, which was mad cool,” he added.
Abdul was already a fan before Friday.
He doesn’t have one favorite movie, but named “Waterboy,” “Happy Gilmore” and “Grown Ups” as those he’s liked.
But his favorite 45 minutes is now the time spent playing basketball with the star.
“Some of the kids didn’t play, but they enjoyed being around him,” Abdul said. “It was a cool experience.”
