The Most Awkward Athlete Interviews of All Time

Image via Complex Original

Date: 8/3/2014

Interviewer: Bram Weinstein

Interviewee: Andrew Wiggins

Outlet: ESPN

Props to Bram Weinstein for asking the tough questions here. They were uncomfortable for Andrew Wiggins to deal with and to watch him answer, but given the limited media availability of NBA rookies (especially No. 1 overall picks), Wiggins had to expect them. Here's where we got the “I just want to play for a team that wants me” quote from Wiggins, which made him seem more like an impounded puppy rather than a newfound millionaire. Probably the first and last time there'll any feelings of pity for a No. 1 overall NBA pick who hasn't even played a minute of game action.

Date: 10/11/2007

Interviewer: Adam Lundquist

Interviewee: Sam Cassell

Outlet: KJEE

This remains one of the most embarrassing viral videos on the Internet. Adam Lundquist, who was a radio show host for L.A.'s KJEE, came into the Clippers' gym and straight disrespected Sam Cassell, who brushed off Lundquist's douchey questions with class. If you're the kind of person who enjoys seeing stupid people do stupid things and then get kicked to the curb, you'll be happy to know that Lundquist was fired from KJEE during the recession in 2009, and has yet to resurface. Probably because he pulls shit like asking Hillary Clinton who she would “do” if her husband gave her a “freebie.” Nobody has time for IRL trolls. Good riddance.

Date: 5/8/2011

Interviewer: N/A

Interviewee: Chris Bosh

Outlet: NBA TV

For those keeping score at home, that's 21 seconds of silence. Twenty-one. After LeBron and D-Wade did their interviews following a playoff loss to the Celtics, reporters had no questions to ask Chris Bosh. Their loss—Bosh is one of the league's most interesting players. NBA TV actually had to make a cut in this video (seen at :41) to lessen the dead air. By the end, Bosh sucks on his teeth and walks out.

Date: 6/25/2009

Interviewer: Heather Nichols

Interviewee: Rampage Jackson

Outlet: Cage Potato

He would've kept on humping, too, if the segment's producer didn't pry him away. Heather Nichols was later interviewed about her interview, where she revealed how she forced herself to keep her cool in the face of Jackson's sexual abuse. Said Nichols, “I was hired to do a job, which was to interview Rampage, so I decided to put up with his shenanigans and finish the interview.” Very professional, although nobody would've blamed her if she had kneed him in the balls.

Date: 5/28/2011

Interviewer: Karyn Bryant

Interviewee: Rampage Jackson

Outlet: MMA HEAT

Why do female reporters even bother with him anymore?

Date: 1/12/1999

Interviewer: Russ Salzberg

Interviewee: Mike Tyson

Outlet: FSN

Normally, I like it when athletes swear and get emotional in interviews. We're so used to perfectly tailored answers from our stars that many athlete interviews end up boring. Here, Mike Tyson brings the heat, but not in a productive way. He just acts like a bitchy dickhead for the sake of being a bitchy dickhead instead of simply giving a real answer.

Date: 6/10/2014

Interviewer: Bobby Ramos

Interviewee: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade

Outlet: Bottom Line

As asinine as asinine reporter questions can get. It's so bad that it feels like a parody of what a “real” reporter should ask. LeBron and Wade couldn't help but to laugh at him (not with him), which may be one of the worst things an interviewee could do in a interviewer's mind. Bobby Ramos didn't seem to take offense though—he had quite a time interviewing Erik Spoelstra in a similar manner.

Date: 10/24/1999

Interviewer: Jim Gray

Interviewee: Pete Rose

Outlet: NBC

There's a time and a place for everything, and Jim Gray probably didn't pick the right time or place to hit Pete Rose with a hard line of questioning about his alleged betting on baseball—specifically, events surrounding betting that happened ten years ago. Rose had just been honored as a member of the All-Century team, and was expecting a bunch of puff questions about how beautiful the night is and blah blah blah. Sure that's shit nobody cares about, but it's shit that was appropriate for the event.

Later, Gray defended his interview by saying he was giving Rose an opportunity to open up and come clean (Rose had previously denied all betting allegations), but what exactly made Gray think that Rose would suddenly confess that night after over a decade of denials? Gray's own hubris, of course.

Date: 3/22/2004

Interviewer: Jim Gray

Interviewee: Steve Francis

Outlet: ESPN

Oops. Steve Francis was clearly upset at officials during halftime of a 2004 Kings-Rockets game. What instigated Francis' reaction was when an official called him for a then league-leading 17th techincal foul. Francis apologized before the start of the third quarter, but the NBA still hit him with a $25,000 fine.

Date: 4/8/2010

Interviewer: Lindsay Harbert

Interviewee: Eli Manning

Outlet: Ethan Newberry/YouTube

Poor Eli. Lindsay Harbert does awkward stuff like this for a living, but Manning had no clue what he was in for. Watching him squirm was cute and uncomfortable at the same time. He did his best “smile a lot and look cheerful and try hard to make everyone else feel comfortable around him” thing that he does, but Harbert's stalker eyes (along with some choice editing) brought some pretty quizzical looks from Manning.

Date: 9/20/1998

Interviewer: Jay Posner

Interviewee: Ryan Leaf

Outlet: San Diego Union-Tribune

Add this to the pile of Ryan Leaf fails. The reporter, Jay Posner, noted that Leaf had treated a Chargers' cameraman poorly the day before, and when Posner went to interview him the next day, Leaf popped off. Later that afternoon, Leaf forced himself to read a written apology, which actually came off as a bigger “fuck you” to Posner. Incredible, right? Leaf didn't even try to fake his remorse, because there was none. Dude was—and still is—off in his own world.

Date: 4/1/1994

Interviewer: Art MacFarlane

Interviewee: Bobby Bonilla

Outlet: ABC

Here's the money line: “Shove that mic up your ass as far as you can stick it.” Bonilla comes off as massive asshole here, but Art MacFarlane didn't do anyone any favors by standing his ground. It's admirable from a sense-of-pride standpoint, but given that Bonilla had a history of clashing with reporters, it was probably best if MacFarlane had let himself be the bigger man and walked away.

Date: 4/6/1994

Interviewer: Jim Rome

Interviewee: Jim Everett

Outlet: ESPN 2

It's hard to believe Jim Rome has progressed to where he's at in his career, because baiting Jim Everett like he did was a punk-ass, highly unprofessional, immature move. Who the fuck is Jim Rome to question an NFL player's toughness? Calling the man “Chris” after women's tennis player Chris Everett is neither funny nor cute. It's watercooler-level shit-talk. B-A-S-I-C bro BS. But hey, that's basically what CBS still pays him to do now.

Date: 12/20/2003

Interviewer: Suzy Kolber

Interviewee: Joe Namath

Outlet: ESPN

A 39-year-old Suzy Kolber stood no chance against a punch-drunk 60-year-old Joe Namath. The gross age difference aside—Namath is old enough to be Kolber's dad—Broadway Joe was on Canal St. levels of shadiness and creep when he begged Kolber for a kiss here. A few weeks later, Namath ended up in an alcoholism program.

Date: 5/2/2013

Interviewer: Chris McKendry

Interviewee: Asante Samuel

Outlet: ESPN

Yeah, he is. Once Asante Samuel said that “we have kids out here” in response to gay athletes coming out and that he, “doesn't want to teach my kids those things, I teach my kids God,” he should've stopped himself and said, “I don't like gay people.” The honesty would've been refreshing instead of the awkward dancing he does around the topic. To make matters worse, Samuel offered to help the NFL “deal with” gay players, but only if the league would cut him a check. It's too bad Samuel doesn't play quarterback, because seeing him get sacked by Michael Sam this season would've been cool.

Date: 2/12/2013

Interviewer: N/A

Interviewee: Russell Westbrook

Outlet: N/A

The “did you lose this game or did the other team win it” question is one of the stupidest sports questions that still gets thrown around. It's unspecific, prompts useless “embrace debate” types of debates, and helps no one. Props to Russell Westbrook for making sure no reporter asks him that question ever again, but he could've used some softer language.

Date: 3/5/2014

Interviewer: Linda Cohn

Interviewee: Ken Griffey Jr.

Outlet: ESPN

This is as disinterested as an athlete can get during an interview. One-word answers galore. Junior, however, would later appear on Linda Cohn's podcast to explain himself. He claimed that he had a “cough attack” right before the interview was about to go live, and couldn't give longer answers.

Date: 4/28/2012

Interviewer: Julie Tristan

Interviewee: Davis Freese

Outlet: KSDK

Local news can roll out a lot of puff pieces—sometimes, there just isn't any hard-hitting reporting to do around town. This, however, is about as embarrassing, uncomfortable, and shameless as it gets. Julie Tristan flirts with David Freese for the entire piece, showing off her woman boner for the world to see. This isn't reporting, journalism, or even good lifestyle video blogging—just a fake first date, with the final joke being on Tristan. KSDK would later attempt to rinse the Internet of the piece, but it's the Internet, so here we are.