Rarely, however, do we ever get to see these matchups because, frankly, athletes have better things to do with their time.
But over the weekend, Boston Celtics 20-year-old forward Jaylen Brown provided a glimpse at how one-on-one with a fan would go.
Brown is in just his second year in the NBA. He looks, by all accounts, to be a talented role player for the up-and-coming Celtics, but his rookie year average of 6.6 points per game doesn't scream "superstar," either.
But when Brown matched up with a fan, you get a glimpse at how talented pro basketball players truly are.
It's unclear how the matchup came about, but as Brown said at the beginning of the video "Stay behind the computer." Brown proceeded to quickly defeat the fan with a series of step-back jumpers, crossovers, and savvy pivots, faking the defender - who played admirable defense - out of his shoes.
Watch the video, which appeared to be uploaded by the fan, below (Warning: Some NSFW language):