In Year 1 with the Crimson Tide, freshman Labaron Philon already has some favorite things about playing with Alabama basketball in Coleman Coliseum.
The Mobile native recounted his experience in Tuscaloosa thus far on football stars Ryan Williams and Jaylen Mbakwe's ' New Wave ' podcast.
While Philon was being teased by Williams , who went to Saraland High, the word "aura" came up. For Gen Zs like Philon and Williams, the definition is a little different than what's in the dictionary.
RECORD YEAR: Alabama basketball freshman gets name-dropped in viral rap song featuring Mobile native
DARK MODE: Why Alabama basketball's Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon 'had to delete Twitter'
Sitting side by side in the grayscale studio, backlit by a neon Script A were the state of Alabama's 2023 Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball, Williams and Philon.
"When the other team got the ball, they'll (fans) be so loud," Philon said. "They barely know what they be doing sometimes. They just be throwing it up there."
More specifically, Philon said other teams "be throwing us some B.S."
Williams proceeded to rag on Aden Holloway, Philon and their teammates for "not knowing what to do" when they score.
Defending Alabama hoops, Philon called it an "aura moment."
Merriam-Webster describes "aura" as a "distinctive atmosphere surrounding a given source," or "a subtle sensory stimulus."
In the Wikipedia Glossary of Generation Z Slang (Yes, that's a thing) the term "aura" is defined as "overall vibe, energy or personality." Per the definition of my almost 15 year-old brother, it's "how freaking cool you are" and "if you do cool things, that gets you more" aura. His examples included "high school Lamelo" and Nikola Jokić's full-court shot against Keon Ellis and the Sacramento Kings last week.
In Philon's case, some aura moments included a steal that turned into a layup on the fastbreak in the second half against Arkansas State to inch a narrow Alabama lead to three points, or the no-look lob to Clifford Omoruyi in a commanding win over Illinois in the C.M. Newton Classic.
Some plays will result in Philon raising his arms into a flex, other times he opts for a dance. Regardless of the celebration of choice, he's almost always a star for the camera.
"Coach Oats, he gets so mad when I celebrate, but I'll just be so locked in ... I'll just be doing anything," Philon said.
Williams continued his troll of Philon by sharing a story from class. The professor asked who the students looked up to.
Philon said Michael Jordan, which wasn't a problem for Williams, but it was what he said next.
"Do you want to say it or do you want me to say it?" Williams asked.
"You can say it," Philon said.
Williams thought that Philon might want to break one of Jordan's records or have a 15-season career in the league. Not quite.
Instead, Philon told Williams, "It's just his aura."
Rather than defending himself, Philon called on Holloway to verify a story from Alabama's trip to North Carolina.
"What did I say? We was gonna win. Why? Because Michael Jordan put his shoes on this court," Philon said.
"Bruh, the whole day before, we was on the bus, going to shootaround, on the airplane, and this man talking about, 'Michael Jordan put his toes on this court, bruh,'" Holloway recalled. "'Like, we really about to play on the court Michael Jordan put his toes on.'"
Philon called the Dean in Chapel Hill "the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
Reaching his hands out, it was as if Jordan's retired No. 23 was hanging above his ahead again in the moment. During pregame shootaround, Philon even snuck away to stop and get a picture with Jordan's banner.
"You've got to get the perfect angle," Philon told his teammates.
"I think he said that line, and I am not exaggerating, probably 30 times," Holloway said.
Williams found room for one last jab.
"You almost taller than Michael Jordan," Williams said.
Philon, who is billed at 6-foot-4 on the roster, said "Nah."
"I thought you were like 6 ... 6-7," Williams laughed.
Fortunately, Philon has some bodies on his side that he thinks could guard the 6-foot-6 Jordan, like the 6-11 Clifford Omoruyi for one.
"Don't make me put Cliff on him," Philon said.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball has 'aura': What it means, why Labaron Philon said it
