Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser of ESPN’s hit show Pardon the Interruption made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night to talk about the early years of PTI, their working relationship, and their thoughts on some of the biggest sports stories going on right now. At one point, Jimmy Kimmel asked them about the recent news regarding Dwight Howard and the Rockets' desire to trade him, and Kornheiser told Kimmel about how Wilbon has been a Howard apologist for years. And after admitting that he has defended Howard for years, Wilbon went on to say that his opinion of Howard has soured recently because of what many NBA players have told him about the Houston center.
“I did defend him for years,” Wilbon said. “This is a hot-button thing. I defended him for years, because Tony started attacking him while he was leading a team to the Finals. Not great timing on his part, but he was right. Subsequently, players influence you, and when players pull you aside and say, ‘This guy is a clown. He’s never serious about his craft,’ you start to listen.”
Kimmel then attempted to get Wilbon to tell him whether or not Kobe Bryant was one of the players who called Howard a “clown” given their history and, while Wilbon was unwilling to confirm or deny it, the look on his face did suggest that Kobe may have been one of those players, even though Wilbon was quick to say, “Not necessarily.”
The entire segment is worth a watch if you’re a PTI fan, but if you just want to see Kornheiser and Wilbon talk about Howard, skip to the 2:45 mark of the video above.
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
