ESPN suffered some hilarious gaffes during the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday.
Problems began immediately when the broadcast misidentified some members of the draft during introductions.
Former Tennessee Volunteers player Dalton Knecht was one of the players named after him and his accomplishments were listed before the crowd.
However, it was not Knecht who appeared on the fans’ television screens.
Instead, ESPN showed French player Tidjane Salaun, who was clearly laughing at the mistake.
“She looks very different,” said one fan.
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Knecht was not the only player whose presentation was botched by cameramen.
Pittsburgh Panthers guard Bub Carrington got his name named, but ESPN showed Miami Hurricanes forward Kyshawn George.
“This is NOT Bub Carrington,” one fan laughed.
The mistakes didn’t end once the clocks started and the draft began.
ESPN made another mistake after Reed Sheppard was selected with the third pick of the night.
A graphic was shown that included his father, Jeff, but he was referred to as John.
It was a big mistake for ESPN, not only because Reed was a high-ranked prospect, but because his father also played in the NBA.
Fans were quick to call out the network for its mistakes as the draft continued late into the night.
“This ESPN roll call was a comedy of errors,” said one fan.
“ESPN is a complete disaster these days,” another fan said.
“How could they let that happen?” said a third fan.
What does the new television deal mean for the NBA?
By Damian Burchardt, US Sun deputy sports editor.
The new television rights agreement promises to be a huge victory for NBA players.
The league is expected to more than double revenue coming from its media partners, pocketing around $6.9 billion per year, which will inevitably lead to a huge increase in the salary cap in 2025-26.
This will cause the value of players’ contracts to skyrocket.
Projected figures suggest that we could soon see the signing of the first deal for $100 million a year.
Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown is currently projected to earn the highest single-season salary in NBA history, bringing in $65.1 million in 2028-29.
However, it seems like basketball fans would be on the losing side of the fight if the NBA and TNT really split up.
Inside the NBA is a one-of-a-kind sports entertainment show, as evidenced by ESPN’s continued failure to create its own version of the show in recent years.
The NBA won’t be the same without Kenny and Ernie trying to make sense of Shaq and Chuck’s endless bickering every Tuesday night.
“ESPN is down so far,” said a fourth fan.
“Between the Stanley Cup trophy presentation debacle and this, ESPN’s lead cameramen have had a rough week,” a fifth fan said.
ESPN received some criticism during the Stanley Cup and missed some key moments of the celebration.
The broadcast was missed the first time Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov lifted the trophy for his team.
