Pelicans’ Jeremiah Fears misses a dunk after an attempted taunt

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pelicans’ Jeremiah Fears misses a dunk after an attempted taunt

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Oct 29, 2026 10:25 PM ET

Jeremiah Fears got humbled very quickly during Thursday’s game.

Fears and the New Orleans Pelicans played on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings. In the second quarter at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, La., Fears got a fast-break opportunity after a steal by Pelicans teammate Karlo Matkovic.

With an open lane to the basket, Fears had Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr. trailing him. Fears then looked back in what appeared to be an attempted taunt of Acuff.

But unfortunately for Fears, he went on to smoke the wide-open dunk. Here is the embarrassing video.

Jeremiah Fears attempts to taunt Darius Acuff and misses the point-blank dunk https://t.co/1gcDukU5Ds
— Polymarket Hoops (@PolymarketHoops) October 30, 2026

Making matters even worse there for Fears was that Acuff quickly went the other way and scored a layup just seconds later. Fears is a second-year player while Acuff is just a rookie, but it certainly looked like the roles were reversed on that sequence.

The 20-year-old Fears was a All-Rookie Second Team selection last season after averaging 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. But he also drew attention in 2025 after getting taunted by Ja Morant and failed spectacularly to return the favor on Acuff during Thursday’s game.

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