Image via Complex Original
Interviews are like Pokémon cards for media members. With each interview, a reporter earns another notch on their media belt. The more prominent the athlete, the more prominent the writer, so it goes. Scoring one with LeBron is like catching a holographic Charizard—it gives you status, prestige, and the ability to parlay it into even bigger and better interviews. Journalists even trade interviews, too—swapping PR contacts and interview opportunities is common.
But sometimes that trading card is frayed around the edges, or the person receiving the card doesn't properly value it. The same goes for reporters and athletes—an athlete can be caught at a bad time, and/or a reporter can most certainly suck at their job. When those two circumstances exist and even collide, you end up with painfully bad interviews. If a journalist's job is to uncover the truth, which is done by collecting information via interviews, then a reporter hitting on their subject or asking offensive questions about their facial structure is definitely detrimental for all parties. Or on the other side of the mic, a subject trying to dry hump or score with a reporter can cause some equally weird situations. Watch as interviews go from 0 to 100 real quick in The Most Awkward Athlete Interviews of All Time.
Andrew Wiggins Gets Asked About Kevin Love Trade
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.
Sam Cassell's “E.T. or Gollum?” Interview
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.
Nobody Likes Chris Bosh
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.
Rampage Jackson Humps Reporter
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.
Rampage Jackson Motorboats Reporter
Date: 5/28/2011
Interviewer: Karyn Bryant
Interviewee: Rampage Jackson
Outlet: MMA HEAT
Why do female reporters even bother with him anymore?
Mike Tyson Gets Heated
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.
LeBron James and D-Wade Are Speechless
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.
Pete Rose Gets Grilled
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.
Steve Francis Curses on Live TV
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.
An Awkward Reporter Meets an Awkward Eli Manning
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.
Ryan Leaf Loses His Mind
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.
Bobby Bonilla Keeps it 100
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.
Jim or Chris Everett?
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.
Broadway Joe is a Creep
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.
Asante Samuel is a Homophobe
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.
Russell Westbrook is Fed Up
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.
Ken Griffey Jr. Stiffs Linda Cohn
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.
David Freese Gets Hit On
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.