The most talked about person on NBA Twitter over the weekend was not a player or a team, but a sports broadcaster.
While reading a quote from Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. on the “Run It Back Show” on Fan Duel TV, host Michelle Beadle seemed to accidentally say the N-word instead of the team name.
In the clip, she says, “Michael Porter Jr. recently said, ‘Aww, I don’t like this, that if the ni**as…’”
Her co-hosts, former NBA player Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams, immediately realized Beadle’s mistake, and in fact, made light of the situation.
Williams, who is Black, later said while laughing, “Beadle you’re going to be in trouble today.”
Beadle attempted to walk back her slip-up, saying, “Don’t try to get me on that.”
Watch the entire clip below:
Naturally, the clip went viral and garnered some surprisingly amusing responses from former NBA players and fans alike.
Ten-year NBA veteran Evan Turner wrote on X, “I sound crazy but I’m not mad at Michelle Beadle.”
Others joked about the incident, sharing memes that made fun of the public slip-up.
Despite the memes, some took Beadle’s “mistake” extremely seriously, and were much more critical.
One person wrote on X, “There was no mistake. not cute. not funny. they wanted the attention. get that b***h off the screen and stop letting people disrespect an entire culture for clicks and views. Michelle Beadle deserves nothing except to get the bridge of her nose rearranged for playing in people’s faces.”
Another person said, “The way they were just up there laughing when Michelle Beadle said “n***a” on live tv is embarrassing.”
Someone else stated, “Michelle beadle be at home letting nigga out her mouth every second no way you’re reading “nuggets” and say n***a.”
Situations like this are not uncommon in the sports broadcasting world.
In May 2023, during a live pregame broadcast of a matchup between the Oakland A’s and the Kansas City Royals, Athletics play-by-play announcer Glen Kuiper spoke about what he and his co-host, Dallas Braden, did while in Kansas City.
“We had a phenomenal day today. N****r League Museum and Arthur Bryant’s BBQ,” said Kuiper.
Unlike Beadle and her co-hosts, Kuiper did not acknowledge his mistake live on air and was fired just weeks later. We’ll see if Beadle faces a similar fate.