POSTERIZED?: Roberto Nelson shatters a backboard, needs stitches

Roberto Nelson became an internet sensation today.

The rising sophomore guard for Oregon State went viral today thanks to a dunk that happened in a pick-up game in Macedonia on OSU's "Beavers without Borders" trip. Nelson shattered the back board, pulled down the rim, and managed to break his own nose and cut himself bad enough to require 20 stitches in his face and arms.

Seriously, watch it. Unless you hate blood. Then don't:



Nelson's teammate Kevin McShane, who has been blogging about the team's trip, tells the story like this (sic):

There was about a minute left, we were up by at least 20, and Roberto were jones’n for a dunk. We got the board and were pushin’ it up the court, Garret was looking like D Wade, he drove the line and threw it off the back board- Berto jumped up.. caught the ball… over a Skopje player… threw the ball through the hoop, grabbed the rim….. and SHATTERED THE BACKBOARD!!! My boy Roberto Nelson #55 from Santa Barbara shattered the backboard. It was a vintage backboard from when the school was initially set up, and the other teams coach had warned us not to dunk but there Joe, Berto, and myself and a few of the other teams players had been dunking all game so we didn’t think anything of it. But somehow he hit the right spot and the glass rained down. We have video and photos of the bucket list item and will be posted ASAP. It was an incredible feat that every basketball player in the world dreams of doing, big ups to my man Berto! And a special shout out to Brendon Ziegler our strength and conditioning coach back in Corvallis!! All those weights and training are paying off B, we are breaking backboards and taking names out here in Macedonia!

After the Berto got some stitches and a memorable trip to a Macedonian hospital we headed back to the hotel. It was a memorable day with a legendary story.

That really is a legendary story.