Buddy Hield is a shooting guard for the Golden State Warriors and a big fan of the movie “Gladiator.” He finally got to live out his Gladiator dreams when he visited Italy this offseason, but it didn’t live up to his expectations.
The 2000 action film is not based on a true story, but rather inspired by the Roman Empire, so the main character, Maximus, is not a real person. Hield was apparently expecting to see Maximus, played by Russell Crowe in the movie, when he visited the Colosseum in Rome.
Spoiler alert: He did not see Maxiumus.
He described his hilarious experience to ESPN at the Las Vegas Summer League, saying, “I watched ‘Gladiator’ and thought Maximus was a real warrior. I’m going into the Colosseum yelling ‘Maximus!’ and then my tour guide said, ‘He’s not real.'”
So, I suppose if asked, “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!” the former first-rounder might respond, “No.”
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Hield was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Warriors ahead of last season. In his first season with the Warriors, Hield started 22 games and averaged 11.1 points on 51.7% from the field.
Hield was selected as the No. 6 overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016, playing there for two seasons. He then played for the Sacramento Kings from 2017 to 2024 and was traded to the Sixers in February 2024.