TNT issued an apology after incorrectly saying former NBA player Billy Ray Bates is no longer alive.
On Sunday, Ty Jerome scored 28 points off the bench in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 1 victory over the Miami Heat.
During TNT’s post-game coverage, Inside The NBA noted that Jerome scored the fourth-most bench points in a playoff debut after Ben Gordon, Malik Monk, and Bates.
That led Barkley to wonder if Bates is still alive. Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith scolded their co-host for asking the question on live television without knowing the answer, but Shaquille O’Neal claimed Bates passed away.
“You’re gonna get us fired, Chuck,” Shaq said after Johnson implored Barkley to refine his “social skills.”
However, O’Neal also got the crew in trouble. Bates, 68, is still alive.
Johnson apologized for the unfortunate error on Monday night.
“We would like to issue a correction and an apology for something that happened last night on Inside the NBA,” Johnson said.
“We were talking about Billy Ray Bates, who back in 1980 had one of the best playoff debuts coming off the bench with 29 points. In the course of our discussion, we passed on some bad information that Billy Ray Bates had passed away.
“While it was inadvertent, it was also inaccurate and insensitive, and inexcusable. In short, we screwed up. We apologize to Billy Ray Bates and his family.”
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 13: (L-R) Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith attend the Turner Upfront 2015 at Madison Square Garden on May 13, 2015 in New York City. 25201_002_TW_0189.JPG (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Turner)
Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Bates averaged 11.7 points per game over four NBA seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Bullets, and Los Angeles Lakers. That playoff debut wasn’t an outlier; the shooting guard scored 160 points in six career postseason contests.
He also enjoyed a fruitful professional career outside the NBA. After winning Continental Basketball Association Rookie of the Year in 1979, he made the league’s All-CBA first team the following season.
Bates won three championships in the Philippine Basketball Association, where he averaged 46.2 points per game.
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