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‘Nakers’ star LeBron? MSNBC botches Kobe Bryant’s team name, BBC shows footage of another NBA legend in rush to report his death
MSNBC and the BBC are getting heavy criticism after the former found an anchor accused of dropping the N-word when she “stuttered” covering Bryant’s death, and the latter was busted showing footage of the wrong player.
While reporting on the Sunday morning helicopter crash in southern California that led to the death of 41-year-old Bryant, MSNBC anchor Allison Morris stumbled over her words when mistaking the basketball team for which he played over 20 years until his retirement in 2016.
Many accused the anchor of saying the N-word instead of "Lakers," but she insists she did not. Video of the gaffe got people not only mocking Morris but calling for her to be fired.
https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1221544023787278337
Morris took to Twitter to defend herself by saying she got the basketball teams the Knicks and Lakers mixed up in her head and she “stuttered.”Earlier today, while reporting on the tragic news of Kobe Bryant’s passing, I, unfortunately, stuttered on-air, combining the names of the Knicks and the Lakers to say ‘Nakers.’ Please know I did not & would NEVER use a racist term. I apologize for the confusion this caused,” she tweeted.
https://twitter.com/AlisonMorrisNOW/status/1221555983635357696
Replies to Morris’ tweet included many saying that she was simply making an excuse. Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers for his entire 20-year career.
https://twitter.com/calebjo44165988/status/1221558126253658113
In another media gaffe that was highlighted by social media, the BBC ran footage of LeBron James while talking about Bryant.
https://twitter.com/matthewchampion/status/1221557555652153344
James, 35, currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers and is six years younger than Bryant, who retired from basketball in 2016.
“Dear BBC News, you appear to have inserted clips of LeBron James into your tribute package for Kobe Bryant for no apparent reason,” reporter Sachini Nakrani tweeted in reaction to the footage.
https://twitter.com/samirasawlani/status/1221560455199629312
“Cannot believe the BBC – reporting on Kobe Bryant’s death but showing video footage of LeBron James. If you know you know,” added journalist Samira Sawlani.
https://twitter.com/RLewisReports/status/1221568022273392640
source: Reuters
