Basketball has truly become an international game, and that’s very apparent in the NBA, where some of the biggest stars hail from outside the United States, from Luka Dončić to Victor Wembanyama to Pascal Siakam.
Take, for instance, the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Thunder roster includes Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and German-American Isaiah Hartenstein. Meanwhile, the Wolves roster includes Canada’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker and France’s Rudy Gobert, amongst others.
When Gobert dunked on Hartenstein during the second half of pivotal Game 4 on Monday night, ESPN commentator Doris Burke broke out a quick history lesson to help describe the action before demonstrating a rudimentary understanding of the French language.
“And I don’t know much about history, but I know the French and German don’t like one another,” said Burke before a commercial. “And Rudy says, ‘Bonjour, Mr. Hartenstein!’ Have a little bit of that left-handed dunk!”
“What are you trying to start here?” asked broadcasting partner Mike Breen.
Look, either you love Doris and thought that was great, or you dislike Doris and thought it was cringe. We’ll leave it to you.
Several social media scolds pointed out that Hartenstein was born in Oregon. However, he grew up in Germany, has dual citizenship, and played for the German national team, so Doris is in the clear on that one as far as we’re concerned. And she is right that the French and Germans have a long history of hostility and conflicts, even if things are currently pretty copacetic between the two European Union members.