Actor and comedian Kevin Hart fielded a question way out of left field from 76ers guard Patrick Beverley during an alternate broadcast of the NBA in-season tournament final between the Lakers and Pacers on Saturday.
Hart, the host of ESPN’s alternate broadcast NBA Unplugged, was caught off guard when one of his guests, Beverley, brought up a sensitive topic.
Beverley, who’s no stranger to inciting controversy on and off the court, told Hart, “I got a daughter, and I like to call myself a girl dad. What do you think about the Josh Giddey situation?”
Giddey, a guard for the Thunder, is accused of having an improper relationship with a minor.
Hart’s other guests on the show immediately appeared uncomfortable with the question. Hart tried to defuse the loaded atmosphere and said, “Pat, I heard your question, but I’m gonna tell you what I do real well. I deflect. I’m a brand, Pat, and being a brand, I’ll text you and give you my real thoughts. But right now on NBA Unplugged, I’m going to keep it as commercial as I possibly can.”
"I've got a daughter and I like to call myself a girl dad. What do you think about the Josh Giddey situation?" Patrick Beverley's appearance on ESPN's Kevin Hart-hosted NBA Unplugged alternate feed of Lakers-Pacers Saturday took a strange turn. pic.twitter.com/G98XW0kHMa
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 10, 2023
In an obvious attempt to change the subject, Hart started to pepper Beverley with questions about the in-season tournament court designs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Beverley answered, “I like the color of the courts. Not jail courts, though, but basketball courts.”
Hart and Beverley alluded to the Giddey situation one more time on the broadcast before Beverley was ultimately booted off.
The three-time All-Defensive Team selection gave an anecdote about how when he traveled to Oklahoma City one year, the fans booed “the s---” out of him.
Beverley said, “It was the craziest thing in the world, and I was looking around like ‘What the f— did I do?’” Hart responded, “Well, after that question, Pat, I can kind of see why. I can kind of see where the boos came from.”
