Adam Sandler keeps making surprise appearances at Metro Vancouver gyms
Two worlds collided in the best way possible for basketball player Duane Notice earlier this week.
The 31-year-old guard is now in his fourth season playing for the CEBL’s Vancouver Bandits. He’s also a noted cinephile who co-hosts the SceneDMs podcast, which has over 36,000 followers on Instagram.
Earlier this week, he was able to combine his love for basketball and movies by shooting hoops with Adam Sandler.
The 59-year-old movie star was spotted last month playing basketball at a gymnasium in Vancouver. He’s continued to play pick-up games in Greater Vancouver, linking up with Notice twice this week at a local school in Langley.
“After practice, our president, Dylan Kular, came over to me, and he was like, ‘I actually got invited to this run with Adam Sandler, but I can’t make it,'” Notice explained.
“Then he asked me, ‘Do you want to do it? It’s right now.'”
“I sped over, and when I went there, it was pretty cool, man,” he said.
Notice then teamed up with Sandler for a three-on-three runaround.
Duane Notice (far left) from the Vancouver Bandits played pick-up basketball with Adam Sandler and others in Langley this week. (Submitted)
Although Notice has carved out a nine-year pro career in basketball, he was impressed by what Sandler could bring on the court.
“He has a high IQ,” Notice said. “He’s throwing me lobs, he’s throwing me bounce passes, he’s throwing behind-the-back passes. He’s funny, man, like, he’s got a real ’90s baller in him.”
Notice noted that Sandler might not have the average physique for someone his age.
“After we won in each game, like, he’d be like, ‘Yo, like losers off, who’s next? I was like, ‘damn, you don’t want a water?’ Even I was getting a little tired.”
Notice played with Sandler on Wednesday, and then joined him for another pick-up game on Thursday afternoon.
So, why does Sandler keep popping up at gymnasiums playing basketball in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley?
The Brooklyn, New York, native has been in the area for the last few weeks filming his latest movie, Time Out. This psychological thriller is a remake of the original French film from 2001. Actor William Dafoe, who has also been spotted around town recently, stars in the movie alongside Sandler.
Time Out is currently set for release on Netflix in 2027.
Notice did invite Sandler to the Bandits’ home opener on Friday at the Langley Events Centre. While he couldn’t confirm if Sandler would be there, he did gift the movie star a Bandits jersey.
At this rate, Sandler might be too busy playing another pick-up game of his own in the area.