It took a moment for Dan Yang to register exactly whose fist he had bumped one Sunday afternoon earlier this year.
Mr. Yang, a comedian, was lacing his sneakers before his weekly pickup basketball game, nonchalantly greeting the other players as they entered the gym.
He extended a pound to Ben Marshall, a writer and performer for “Saturday Night Live,” then did the same to a newcomer in a Hawaiian shirt shuffling a few steps behind.
“But I did a double take,” Mr. Yang said, “because it was Adam Sandler.”
Whether he knew it or not, Mr. Sandler had joined these hoopers in their happy place: a musty, subterranean gym where New York’s buzzing comedy scene and pickup basketball underworld collide.
This weekly, invitation-only session, known simply as the Sunday Game, is populated almost entirely by professional funny people from all corners of the comedy landscape — stand-up comedians on their way up, comics past their primes and, as in the case of Mr. Sandler, industry A-listers.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The post Sure, These Comics Can Make You Laugh. But Can They Hit a Jump Shot? appeared first on New York Times.