Actor and director Ben Stiller is a long-time passionate fan of the New York Knicks. Stiller has come up a lot during that team’s playoff run this year, from attending games to enthusiastically posting on social media during games to chirping rival players (especially those from the Indiana Pacers). But during Saturday’s Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in Indianapolis, Stiller set his sights on a former Pacer: NBA on TNT analyst Reggie Miller.
Of course, Miller was a prominent Pacers’ player before he became an announcer, and was involved in some particularly crushing moments for the Knicks. (When it’s possible to make a 30 for 30 titled Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks, yeah, there’s some history there.) And while Miller has sometimes asked fans of that team to leave him alone, and has insisted he isn’t biased as an announcer, he’s added his own fuel to the fire with trolling.
Stiller is far from the only New York fan who’s shown annoyance with Miller, and his comments here aren’t that harsh compared to those from some Knicks’ fans. He didn’t even tell Miller to cram it up his cramhole. And it’s maybe not all that surprising that Stiller weighed in this way, as he’s enthusiastically discussed this series and the figures involved, with it even leading him to a realization of who Pat McAfee is as a media personality.
Still, it’s funny to hear such a prominent Hollywood figure publicly expressing how much he dislikes a particular sports announcer. And it’s notable to see Stiller say he’ll even mute a broadcast to avoid a hated announcer. Celebrities: they’re just like us!
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.
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