LeBron James slams commentator for ‘trigger’ comment about Kevin Porter Jr.
Porter’s father spent more than four years in prison for shooting a teenage girl in 1994.
LeBron James wants a Washington Wizards announcer fired for his now-viral remarks about Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr., though it appears the reference was to a former NBA player he thought was the young star’s father.
Wizards broadcaster Glenn Consor made the controversial comment about Porter Jr.’s father during the Wizards win over the Rockets Wednesday night, TMZ reports.
“Kevin Porter Jr., like his dad, pulled that trigger right at the right time,” said Consor after Porter Jr. hit a game-winning three-pointer.
Porter’s father, Bryan Kevin Porter Sr., pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for allegedly shooting a teenage girl in 1994 and spent more than four years in prison. At the time, he claimed he accidentally pulled the trigger and a witness reportedly backed up his account. In 2004, Porter Sr. was fatally shot at a bar in Seattle.
Consor’s comments sparked outrage among many sports fans, including James, who called out the analyst on Twitter Thursday morning.
“Oh he thought this was cool huh!!?? Nah we ain’t going for this! Sorry but this ain’t going to fly,” James tweeted. “How insensitive can you be to say something like this. Beat it man! I pray for you but there’s no place in our beautiful game for you!”
One Twitter user chimed in with, “How TF is that relevant when he’s playing in a game? How does that comment add to the commentary for a SPORTING EVENT?! He said that with the intention of being mean. There is no other reason to say that on national television.”
While many on social media joined James in calling for Consor to be fired, others noted that he may have mistakenly believed Porter Jr.’s father was former NBA player Kevin Porter. They defended him for simply using a poor choice of words to describe Porter Jr. after the Rockets beat the Wizards, 114-111.
“If he didn’t know who his dad actually was,why even say that in the first place?He coulda left that whole part out and just said “Kevin Porter Jr pulled the trigger at the right time” and it wouldn’t be an issue,” one Twitter user commented.
Another said, “It’s just in fortunate that KPJ actual Dad did something horrible and that could lead to misunderstand what he said.”
A third added, “We’ve been listening to senile Marv Albert call games for 3 decades getting shit wrong left and right. Broadcasters make mistakes, this one is just extremely unlucky given the circumstances. It’s a mistake that any of us could make.”
Consor confirmed in a statement that he mistakenly thought Porter Jr. was the son of former Washington player Kevin Porter, who had an 11-year career with the NBA.
He said he reached out to apologize to Porter Jr., and that he was “unaware that the words I chose to describe the game-winning shot would be in any way hurtful or insensitive.”
“Please allow me to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to Kevin Porter Jr., his family and the Rockets organization for the comments I made during last night’s game. I mistakenly thought that Kevin was the son of former Washington player Kevin Porter,” Consor wrote on Twitter.
“I have reached out to Kevin to personally apologize and hope to be able to talk with him soon,” he added.
Porter Jr. has yet to publicly comment on the situation.
Consor has been an analyst for Wizards since 2007.
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