Sideline antics that are more entertaining than the game

Over the weekend, LeBron James made his rounds on social media for … clipping his fingernails. James’ Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz for their second win of the early 2019 NBA season on Friday, and the star had some manicuring to catch up on during the game:

When you get that “You’re on ESPN!” text 😂 pic.twitter.com/yVQSAmHOJI

— ESPN (@espn) October 26, 2019

The best part: The woman sitting next to him doesn’t seem to notice at all.

But he’s not the only athlete whose midgame antics from the sideline have made us laugh. We looked back at some others from the past five years across a variety of sports. And don’t worry, all include media for you to relive and enjoy them properly.

Monmouth Hawks Men’s Basketball Bench Celebrations, 2015

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The Monmouth Hawks have become known for their eccentric bench celebrations, and some might even say they have the best celebrations in basketball.

The Monmouth Hawks men’s basketball team captured the attention of the nation during the 2015 season with the hilarious celebrations by their bench.

So much so that they nicknamed themselves the “Monmouth Bench Mob” and went on to proclaim themselves as the “greatest bench in the history of college basketball” on the group’s official Twitter account.

Serena Williams Orders an Espresso, 2015

After losing the first set 6-0 at the 2015 Hopman Cup, Serena Williams knew she needed a pick-me-up to get herself going — so she inquired about the permissibly of ordering a caffeinated beverage. Lo and behold, the chair ump and tournament referee obliged. Hey, being the GOAT is tiring stuff, OK?

Mark Letestu Eats a Packet of Mustard, 2019

During a preseason game in September, veteran Mark Letestu of the Winnipeg Jets was seen eating a packet of mustard. Yep, just slurping down the condiment.

But maybe there was some sound reasoning behind it? Though we didn’t hear from Letestu on his choice of snack, others weighed in on social media about the benefits of a quick mustard fix:

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Mustard for muscle cramps prevention? Last week I got asked by some of my sport-etudes hockey players “Why Mark Letestu from the Winnipeg Jets took mustard on the bench during an NHL game ?”. . First it is easy for a pro athletes to get caught when TV cameras 🎥 are streaming live feed during a hockey game witch is not the case for you in your kitchen when you put weird stuff in your kraft dinner 😂( I heard some awful combination when I was a teenager with this one). . To answer the question, mustard is use for muscle cramp prevention. Even in 2019, the exact cause of muscle cramps is unknown. According to Dr. Bruce Bean, Robert Winthrop Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, leg cramps are muscle spasms caused by “mini-seizures” of motor neurons (nerves that power muscle contractions). . For decades physicians and athletic trainers assumed that muscle cramps originated in muscles and were caused by dehydration or imbalances in electrolytes such as sodium, potassium or magnesium. MUSTARD OR PICKLE JUICE Researchers have established that pickle juice promptly eases electrically induced muscle cramps. They have also demonstrated that the mechanism of action of pickle juice or mustard is not through electrolyte replenishment.They hypothesized that strong flavors would trigger nerves in the mouth, throat and stomach. This neuronal stimulation might in turn overwhelm the misbehaving nerves that were causing muscle cramps by “directly influence and regulate nerve function”. . This is why home remedies containing cinnamon, ginger, mustard, black pepper, pickles juice or a hot pepper extract could be an explanation for why so many people have reported success for leg cramps. REFERENCE MILLER, Kevin C. Electrolyte and plasma responses after pickle juice, mustard, and deionized water ingestion in dehydrated humans. Journal of athletic training, 2014, vol. 49, no 3, p. 360-367 ______ 🏋️ Axxeleration© performance center based in Montreal – link in profile 🐤Twitter – S_lagrange 🖥Email:Sebastien@axxeleration.com FB👨🏻‍💻 – Axxeleration ______ #axxeleration #musclecramps #homeremedies #mustard #picklejuice #hockey #athlete #prevention #mythbusters

A post shared by Sébastien Lagrange Ph.D (@b_barn) on Oct 7, 2019 at 3:51pm PDT

Mike Scott Drinks a Fan’s Beverage, 2019

.@mikescott staying hydrated after the hustle play 😂 pic.twitter.com/dcxJno8ixt

— ESPN (@espn) March 17, 2019

Philadelphia 76ers forward Mike Scott actually took a sip of an alcoholic beverage after falling on a female fan.

“It was just in the moment. I probably won’t do it again. But it was good, though. No ice,” he later told reporters.

Pete Alonso Shaves His Mustache, 2019

Pete Alonso shaved his mustache mid-game. pic.twitter.com/BDZsPneTP0

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 12, 2019

New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso was struggling in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in September, so what did he do? He shaved his mustache.

“I had very terrible at-bats before,” Alonso told ESPN. “And so I’m like, ‘All right, mustache needs to go.’ Simple as that.”

Unfortunately, the superstitious move did not help Alonso, who went on to strike out for the third time and then ground out post-shave.

But hey, the season ended on a high note for him: He now owns the rookie record for most home runs hit in a single season, at 53.

Nick Kyrgios Brings a New Shoe to Stefanos Tsitsipas, 2019

Will you come to the ball, Cinderella?

🤣 #CO19 @NickKyrgios @StefTsitsipas pic.twitter.com/3XcPpt165k

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 4, 2019

Just because you’re playing a high-stakes tennis match, that doesn’t mean you can’t be friends, if even just briefly.

Nick Kyrgios edged out Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Citi Open semifinals in August, and Kyrgios garnered a lot of laughs when he took Tsitsipas’ problematic shoe to his coach for a fix. Kyrgios then brought the new shoe down to his opponent, bowing down and giving it to him.

The crowd loved it. And Kyrgios went on to win the Citi Open, his sixth career title.

J.R. Smith Buys Cotton Candy, 2015

JR Smith just bought some cotton candy from the bench pic.twitter.com/P9evM7rsPK

— Jared Mueller (@JaredKMueller) October 12, 2015

Who among us hasn’t had a sweet tooth at the most random of times? The former Cleveland Cavaliers guard was on the bench during a game in 2015 — and decided to buy some arena cotton candy.

Full disclosure: It was during a preseason game in which Smith was sitting out with an injury.

A Cavs team official later told ESPN that Smith bought the cotton candy for the son of professional golfer Jason Day, who was seated by the team’s bench.

Cam Newton Flosses, 2016

PSA: Always remember to floss. pic.twitter.com/Z3MglbDCU8

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 9, 2016

Look, healthy teeth are an important thing.

So how can we chide Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton for deciding he needed to floss during his team’s season opener in 2016 against the Denver Broncos?

Newton told reporters after the game that he “was eating oranges at halftime” and they got stuck in his teeth.