Open Post: Hosted By Zaila Avant-garde Spelling And Dribbling With Bill Murray

Truly talented children really are a sight to behold! And 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde is, at the very least, a double threat. After having won the Scripps National Spelling Bee, we quickly learned that Zaila is also a basketball phenom! And to think people went gaga over that little kid who could yodel pretty good. Kids are going to have to do a might better than that these days if they want to impress. Zaila has raised the bar for precociousness and sent a 3-pointer clear over it.

In addition to being the best young speller in the nation, according to People, Zaila also “holds three Guinness World Records for her ability to dribble multiple basketballs at a time.” Last night, Zaila appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live with guest host Phoebe Robinson to demonstrate her skills in both milieus (yes, it took me three tries before I spelled that word correctly). In demonstrating her multitasking skills, Zaila was joined by special guest Bill Murray, whose name she evoked during the spelling bee when asking for clarification on the origin of her winning word, “Murraya.” Here’s Zaila dribbling three basketballs while balancing on a foam roller and spelling the word “Portmanteau.” And in an even more impressive feat, pretending to be excited to talk to a red-faced old man who looks like he just woke up from a rosé all day nap.

Shit, I was talented when I was 14 too but I squandered it. My talent was turning off the TV real quick when my mom came home and pretending like I was doing something else. Pfft, I’d like to see Zaila go from watching Love Connection to being really engrossed in an upside down book in 20 seconds flat. Kids these days will never understand what REAL talent looks like.

Pic: YouTube