"Doug was hitting 3s from everywhere" - NBA fans react as Kings $3,303,771 vet shares major March Madness throwback with two cheerleaders

With March Madness right upon us, fans and even former athletes enjoy walking down memory lane.

That includes Sacramento Kings forward Doug McDermott, who shared an iconic Sports Illustrated cover on X.

He's pictured alongside two cheerleaders, recreating an iconic cover Larry Bird starred in decades ago. He jokingly said, "That was a long night." Fans shared their thoughts on this cover in the comments section.

"That Doug Mcbuckets run special, but Creighton still getting smacked tomorrow," another fan tweeted.

"Now we all know that McDermott was a prolific scorer, so naturally these gals double teamed the guy, making it a long night for him," a Hubie Brown parody account tweeted.

"The goat doing goat things. I’d say I’m surprised but this dudes jumper was purer than molasses," one fan tweeted.

"Why does this look like it was printed in the mid 80s. lol," another fan tweeted.

McDermott was a bona fide bucket-getter in college. He led the NCAA in scoring in 2014, was a 3x All-American First Team, and even the Naismith College Player of the Year. That's why he entered the league as a lottery pick.

Doug McDermott was often compared to Larry Bird

Back then, Doug McDermott even drew comparisons to Larry Bird. They were both big white forwards who could shoot lights out from all three levels and were both sensations in college.

Nevertheless, McDermott knew better than to be compared to one of the greatest players in the game.

“It’s really not fair,” McDermott said to reporters in 2014. “I don’t think you can compare anyone to Larry Bird. There’s just not going to be another one. I think it’s good to have a guy like that for everyone to look up to, myself included, because, you know, that’s the best of the best right there — him and Magic (Johnson) and Michael (Jordan) and those guys.

You can’t compare guys to those three, I don’t think. I just take pieces of his game and try to apply it to mine.”

McDermott's career hasn't turned out as expected. So far, he's played for the Chicago Bulls, OKC Thunder, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs and now Kings.

Per Spotrac, he's signed to a $3,303,771 contract with the Kings, and his career average of 8.6 points per game isn't exactly close to Bird's.