Virtual reality, ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ and other unusual interviews at this year’s NBA draft combine

It’s NBA Draft Combine season, and for prospective members of this year’s draft class, that means it’s also pre-draft interview season. Teams in the NBA and other sports have never been shy about employing unusual interview tactics to glean insight on a player’s mental makeup, but every year, reports emerge of stranger and stranger set-ups. This isn’t a standard job interview with HR, that’s for sure.

One team even busted out the infamous Wolf of Wall Street routine for Michigan State forward and likely top-5 pick Jaren Jackson Jr. In an on-air interview with the ESPN panel, Jackson described a part of the process where he was handed a pen and told to make a sales pitch for it, just as Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort did in the final scene of the film.

“They hit me with a ‘sell me this pen.’ And just like Wolf of Wall Street, I had to sell it to them,” said Jackson. “...what’s funny, the pen I had in the meeting, it clicked and I didn’t think it was working, so he asked me, ‘Is it broken?’ I said, ‘No, it’s just one of our more unique pens.'”

Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons were making use of virtual reality technology to get a feel for potential draftees. According to James Edwards of The Athletic, players were placed into NBA game situations through VR goggles and asked to make the correct read of the defense:

If the Wolf of Wall Street question seemed a bit strange for a basketball interview, then this one is at least less far-flung. It’s a neat application of new technology to test players’ basketball IQ in specific five-on-five situations, which can be tricky to scout for (and certainly so in interviews).

Unlike other teams, the Portland Trail Blazers decided not to bring any front office or even coaching staff to the interviews. Instead, their team psychologist was the only person to interview prospects:

The Blazers’ interview was barely that. Said Duke guard Gary Trent Jr. to Sporting News, “They just sent a psychiatrist, and you filled out a form. It was different. She simply just talked. There wasn’t much to it.”

Lastly, Kansas point guard Devonte’ Graham recalled being asked one classic interview question. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 together, and the bat cost $1 more than the ball -- how much would each cost?

“I told them the ball was a dollar and the ball was nothing, but you put taxes on the bat. I was overthinking,” said Graham to Sporting News.

Yeah. The NBA Draft Combine can get you like that. It may seem like an intimidating process, for NBA representatives to ask teenagers all types of convoluted and at times seemingly irrelevant questions to the act of playing basketball, but maybe prospects overwhelmed by the nerves can find some peace of mind in Isaiah Thomas’ take on the event.

Warning: NSFW language follows.