Linda Cohn’s short-lived home run catchphrase did not quite make it out of the batter’s box. The longtime ESPN anchor revealed on Rich Eisen’s “This Was SportsCenter” that she once tried to debut a very risky “SportsCenter” line for baseball highlights, only for ex-ESPN executive Norby Williamson to shut it down almost immediately. “Whenever I … Read more
Stephen A. Smith wasn’t just wrong about Jalen Brunson and the Knicks. “I’m a grown-ass man,” Smith said. “I was beyond wrong.” Appearing as a guest on a live episode of “The Roommates Show” podcast with NBA champion teammates Brunson and Josh Hart at Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden, Smith ate his humble pie … Read more
Kendrick Perkins has a new job. Perkins, the ex-NBAer turned ESPN basketball analyst, is now taking a job with Jackson State as the general manager of its basketball program, per ESPN. It appears, though, that he will still stay with the network despite the new position, with teammate Shams Charania reporting Perkins “adds” this responsibility … Read more
An ESPN pundit is furious over recent comments by Vincent Goodwill, calling the NBA Championship a “participation trophy.” Kendrick Perkins went off on Wednesday evening on “The Road Trippin Show.” “That was a bunch of bulls–t. It was all the way disrespectful, and when I heard him say it, the first thing came to mind … Read more
It seems Stephen A. Smith isn’t dialed in on World Cup history. On ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday morning, during a panel discussion on the U.S. men’s national team’s mentality in the 2026 World Cup compared to years past, Smith brought up the French national team. “I’m wondering what France is going to do, could … Read more
Every game of the 2026 NBA Finals was a nail-biter. And the television ratings reflected as such. The Knicks-Spurs series was the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998 — the last gasp of the Michael Jordan Bulls dynasty — by averaging 20.6 million viewers across the five games, ESPN said in a statement on Tuesday. New … Read more
The Knicks almost left Stephen A. Smith speechless. Almost. The ESPN host and long-suffering Knicks fan was in San Antonio and on the court at Frost Bank Center as the team celebrated the franchise’s first championship in 53 years. “I don’t even know how to put it in words because I damn sure didn’t play,” … Read more
A simple “Bang!” wouldn’t have done it justice. Mike Breen, ESPN’s lead broadcast voice for the NBA Finals and the longtime voice of the Knicks for MSG Network, got to make arguably the biggest call of his play-by-play career on Saturday night. “It’s over! It’s over! Knick fans, this is not a dream!” Breen, a … Read more
The flags of Paraguay and Panama both contain red, white and blue. But that’s no excuse for ESPN, which made an embarrassing mistake Friday night when previewing the USA-Paraguay men’s soccer game in the World Cup. During a betting segment, the analysts discussed Paraguay and had the correct flag on the screen, but the graphic … Read more
The NBA league office must be salivating over the TV ratings for the NBA Finals. Monday’s Game 3 broadcast between the Knicks and the Spurs was the most-watched NBA Finals Game 3 in nearly three decades, averaging 23.8 million viewers, data released by Nelsen showed on Wednesday. Viewership for the game peaked late in the … Read more
Shaquille O’Neal has joined a growing list of former athletes taking GLP-1 drugs. The Hall of Famer revealed he started taking Zepbound to combat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), something he was diagnosed with in 2011, shortly after retiring from the NBA. The medications, initially primarily used to treat Type 2 diabetes and OSA, have gained … Read more
Charles Barkley is pushing his ESPN luck. The “Round Mound of Rebound,” a former NBA All-Star and current “Inside the NBA” analyst, wants to see what his employer is going to do after his viral Game 3 halftime take that rapper Cardi B should call herself “Cardi D’s” — a reference to her chest — … Read more
Pat McAfee could be in line for one of the biggest paydays in sports media. ESPN and McAfee’s representatives are discussing a contract extension that could pay him more than $60 million per year, according to The Athletic. The deal is not yet completed, and the final number could depend on McAfee taking on an … Read more
Much like the Madison Square Garden crowd on Monday night, Charles Barkley couldn’t keep his eyes off Cardi B’s NBA Finals Game 3 halftime performance. And he didn’t keep much of his thoughts to himself — nor could the rest of the “Inside the NBA” crew. “Knicks up seven, looking for a 3-0 lead. We’ve … Read more
Madison Square Garden is roleplaying as Fort Knox for the day. ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania was stopped by the Secret Service outside MSG in the lead-up to Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday. “I was actually stopped by the Secret Service… because my AirPod fell and the Secret Service came up to … Read more
Fat Joe was having a moment where he was so excited before Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Friday night. The rapper and huge Knicks fan joined the “Inside the NBA” crew’s ESPN pregame show before the Knicks took on the Spurs in San Antonio, and he made his voice heard and felt. He … Read more
If the Spurs had played defense on Shaquille O’Neal like security staffers did Friday night, they may have prevented that Lakers dynasty in the early 2000s. O’Neal encountered some difficulties entering Frost Bank Center ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Friday night in San Antonio, although the Hall of Famer laughed it … Read more
Who knew? We knew. Since Goose Gossage was a gosling, we knew. We always have. Wednesday’s Knicks-Spurs Game 1 was amazing for how the ABC/ESPN crew — the invisible, unheard crew, from cameramen to tape operators — treated it. It was treated like a basketball telecast, no reason to abandon it to press “look what … Read more
ESPN may have some explaining to do. Despite improved presentation during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night with vintage trademarks returning, the network is under scrutiny Thursday morning as keen-eyed observers caught something bizarre. ESPN aired an AI-generated image of former Spurs star point guard and four-time champion Tony Parker smiling and … Read more
Charles Barkley made time for an outdoor workout while on his work trip to San Antonio for the 2026 NBA Finals. During “NBA Tip-Off” on ESPN, Barkley explained that the now-viral video of him doing chairlifts on the San Antonio River Walk was all part of his workout before Wednesday’s Game 1 win for the … Read more