WNBA Player Drains 3-pointer, Drops Gum On Floor, Puts It Back In Her Mouth, Drains Another 3

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"Five-second rule!" Ah, yes. The famous edict that if you drops food on the ground, you have five seconds to eat it before it becomes "gross." WNBA player Sami Whitcomb of the Seattle Storm takes this rule seriously.

After hitting a 3-point shot, Whitcomb yelled out in celebration. In doing so, the gum she was chewing flew out of her mouth and onto the court.

She quickly reached down, picked it up and popped it right back into her mouth. On the Storm's next possession, Whitcomb hit another 3.

Whitcomb's "lucky" gum didn't help the Storm win the game, though. They lost 80-76 to the New York Liberty, the team's fifth loss in a row.

WNBA player drops gum, picks it up, puts it back in her mouth

I consider myself pretty liberal when it comes to eating food off the ground. My wife calls me "gross" all the time. Back in college, I worked as a waiter. You can probably guess where this is going.

Yes, I have eaten food that customers didn't touch. I hate waste. And I love free food.

I've pulled food out of the garbage and eaten it. Not buried in the garbage, I'm not an animal. But if something is sitting right on top, likely still in some kind of packaging? I'll do it. No question.

I don't believe there is some magic portal around the garbage can where as soon as it crosses that threshold something becomes inedible.

Context matters. What else is in the garbage? How long was it in the garbage? Did it touch anything else?

The same applies to food that falls on the ground. What is the food? How dirty is the ground?

All of that being said, the gum back in the mouth is gross. Yeah, I said it. I'm not a hypocrite.

WNBA player Sami Whitcomb dropped her gum on the floor, picked it up and put it right back in her mouth and continued playing.

BROOKLYN, NY - JULY 8: Sami Whitcomb #32 of the Seattle Storm smiles during the game against the New York Liberty on July 8, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images)

Here's why: gum is sticky. It attracts all the crap on the floor right to it. Speaking of which, this is a floor being stepped on by dozens and dozens of different shoes. The stuff sticking to that gum is nasty.

Did she do it because it was lucky? Still gross. Did she do it for player safety? If so, put it in your pocket. Or hand it to a coach.

She had options.

And she should have picked a different one.

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.