Everyone Mad at Washington Wizards Announcer for Kevin Porter Jr. Buzzer-Beater Call
By Kyle Koster
The Houston Rockets' Kevin Porter Jr. sank a buzzer-beater to defeat the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. Here's what the moment sounded like on the winning team's broadcast.
And here's what it sounded like on the Wizards' broadcast. It will prove infinitely more problematic.
"You've got to give credit. Kevin Porter Jr., like his dad, pulled that trigger right at the right time," Wizards broadcaster Glenn Consor said. For background:
Porter Jr.'s father, Bryan Kevin Porter Sr., pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in a shooting death of a 14-year-old girl in 1993. He was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison. Porter Sr. died in 2004 after being shot in a South Seattle bar. The Rocket's star was 4 years old when his father was killed.
The comment quickly went viral and drew the attention of LeBron James, Kevin Love and other NBA players.
This is obviously upsetting. So upsetting, though, that one has to wonder if there's a more innocent explanation for the whole thing. A Kevin Porter played in the NBA from 1972-1982. One would hope Consor was under the impression Porter is a second-generation player, which he is not. Because the other explanation is no explanation. It doesn't seem logical that a person would use tragedies like this as a punchline knowing full well the cost-benefit of veering into that department.
Multiple outlets have reached out to Consor and the Wizards without a response. It would seem in everyone's best interest for the broadcaster to explain what happened here. Things are only going to get worse and less salvageable amid a vacuum of accountability.
UDPATE: Consor has apologized, stating it was a case of mistaken identity.