ESPN Botches Major NBA Finals Celebrity Interview

Ben Stiller is a New York Knicks superfan who surely had plenty to say as Knicks prepared to take down the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.

What exactly it was Stiller wanted to say, however, we’ll never know. You can thank ESPN’s pre-game coverage for that.

ESPN had the actor on the court alongside retired players Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, current Golden State Warrior Draymond Green, and host Ernie Johnson as part of ESPN’s Inside the NBA.

Just before the Knicks would eventually come back from a 29-point deficit and pull away in the Polymarket odds to win it all, Stiller had a chance to hype up his favorite team. Viewers were no doubt anxious to hear Stiller’s thoughts.

Johnson briefly introduced Stiller before allowing the actor his turn under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. What followed was something Stiller could have edited out of one of his movies then shot another take. But not on Wednesday night on live TV.

Stiller’s ESPN mic was muted. This prompted the always outspoken Barkley to shout “Good job, crew!”

Ben Stiller gets a muted mic to begin his ‘Inside the NBA’ appearance on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/ACDI32Udpg

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 10, 2026

Safe to say Stiller won’t be plucking any key grips from the ESPN production crew for his next film.

Johnson quickly pivoted and asked Green to hand his working microphone to Stiller in an effort to save the interview. Stiller quickly adapted and cited the “assist from Draymond Green.”

All was not lost and the interview continued after ESPN’s awkward moment.
It was embarrassing for sure, but far from the most embarrassing thing to happen on the MSG hardwood. That honor belonged to the visiting Spurs who made one costly mistake after the next in the historic collapse. 

After the loss, the Knicks now have a 79% chance of winning the NBA Finals on Polymarket. Their first chance to close out the Spurs and capture the title comes Saturday night in San Antonio. Game 5 is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET.  

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