Grading Athlete vs. Non-Athlete Dap Situations

We all want to think that we have street cred, dropping trendy words or busting out popular dances and such, but, thanks to the power of video cameras, it can be proved otherwise.

Now I'm not saying that athletes are the only ones who can pull off dapping one another or doing the whole dabbing thing that Cam Newton has made hot, but when others try it, it doesn't always go as smoothly.

Since there have been a few moments of people trying way too hard to be hip, I handed out grades for non athletes giving dap to athletes—with some folks doing it a little better than others.

10. Dana Holgorsen

It's not so much that Trevone Boykin got dapped up by Dana Holgorsen—the West Virginia head coach who was opposing Boykin's TCU Horned Frogs at the time—it was how and when Holgorsen did it that was such a boss move.

Following a run in which the quarterback weaved his way around and out of the pocket to scoot for a first down to humiliate WVU defenders, the Mountaineers coach just felt compelled to tip his cap to his opposition and give him some skin.

I'm not sure I've ever seen this before following a coach's team getting burned by an opposing player, so it was so cool to see happen in the moment.

Hey, real recognizes real.

Grade: A-

9. George Bush

Nolan Ryan might not have been an active athlete at the time of this ridiculously poor high-five attempt, but, at one time, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball—yet he and former U.S. President George Bush missed the strike zone when trying to give one another some skin.

It's really embarrassing, actually. I mean, two grown men can't connect on something so simple from a mere foot away from each other? C'mon, guys.

If you thought Bush was cool before this, he may have dipped a little bit following the missed dap.

Grade: F

8. George Karl

Sure, it was one of his own players, but when George Karl got some love from DeMarcus Cousins during a game this season following a technical foul given to the head coach, it wasn't just hilarious, but it showed some respect.

Remember, these two were, rumored to be, at each other's necks only a few months prior, so having Boogie even approach Karl to toss him some skin is pretty remarkable.

Plus, while Karl might not be the coolest old guy in the league, he still has cred.

Grade: B+

7. Tyler Rausa

OK, so this one is sort of a cheat because Tyler Rausa is an athlete—but, in fairness, he's the kicker of the Boise State football team, so there's a little gray area to wiggle with. Plus, the move he pulled to dap himself is straight fire!

Looking for a teammate to to help him congratulate a made field goal during a game last season, Rausa wasn't about that life, deciding that he'd just dap up himself, performing a hilarious self-celebration instead.

Bold move and awesome—which is why he has to be considered for a spot on this list.

Grade: B

6. Phil Jackson

Phil Jackson might not be a head coach anymore, but in his day, no one could touch Phil back when he had it, as the dude won 11 NBA titles at the helm of the Chicago Bulls and L.A. Lakers.

While with the Lakers, Phil showed that he could be both cool and lame in the same instance, giving some mad dap to Derek Fisher with an exploding fist bump prior to tip, but then, shockingly, getting looked past by Kobe Bryant—which is a little embarrassing.

Since Jackson is both an icon in the NBA and has some swag, I'll reward him for the love he got from Fish—but he's not so good at the rapid-fire dap.

Grade: C

5. Justin Timberlake

Since Justin Timberlake is, well, him, he gets the benefit of the doubt on this one and lands in the top five of this list. That said, his dap to Kobe Bryant after The Black Mamba's three-pointer a few years back was a bit disappointing.

In fairness to JT, though, Kobe fell down after the trey and needed to hustle back to play defense, so he didn't really have a great deal of time to give the love back and properly dap Timberlake up.

So that Bryant even was able to give some skin to the singer/actor should be applauded—and I'm sure the next time will be better between these two.

Grade: B-

4. Adam Silver

On the surface, he may not appear like anything more than some super smart guy who spends his days in front of a computer or something, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver has proved that he's actually one of the raddest guys in sports.

I know that sounds silly, but, seriously, the art of dapping isn't lost on Silver, who shows that he's pretty cool anytime he comes in contact with basketball players.

Dude keeps things simple and subtle, with the bro handshake almost every time.

Grade: B+

3. President Barack Obama

Regardless of your opinion on Barack Obama is in terms of running the country, if there's one thing you just can't deny, it's that the guy has some serious swag.

The coolest president since Bill Clinton in the '90s, Obama has been seen sipping beer at NBA games and has shown his sports knowledge off during White House visits for different teams, proving he knows his stuff.

But when he comes across a sports star—as he did here with Kevin Durant—that's really when Barry gets down. Check out how amped the commander in chief was to dap KD!

Grade: A

2. Roger Goodell

I know, I know, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is probably the last person one would think has actual street cred or would receive praise from athletes, but the man has really upped the dapping game during the NFL draft over the years, so he has to be applauded.

Even as the league continues to battle itself with so many questionable decisions that the guy makes, Goodell is the master at getting love from incoming draft picks, who pretty much tackle him to share their emotions.

Grade: A

1. Jay Z

Rapper Jay Z is easily one of the coolest and most successful entertainers on the planet, so it's easy to see why so many people wish they could befriend the dude.

One of those athletes who actually did strike up a brotherhood with Hova is LeBron James, who is routinely seen getting dap from Jay anytime the two interact with one another, even choreographing a handshake.

As if getting some love from a mogul like Jay Z isn't enough in person, James often gets shouted out in some of Jay's rhymes, too, making this a dap that's forever ongoing.

Grade: A+