Debate sports on television for long enough and you’re bound to become a meme. And that’s exactly what happened to Max Kellerman in 2019, as when presented with the choice between Andre Iguodala or Steph Curry taking an open shot, he made it clear he preferred the former.
“Of everyone on Golden State, open shot, the fate of the universe on the line, the Martians have the death beam pointed at earth, you better hit it, I want Iguodala,” Kellerman said on ESPN’s First Take amid the 2019 NBA Finals, which the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors. “That’s right, and I know what it sounds like. And it’s not fair to Steph because so much defensive attention is paid to him. And I’m not saying Steph’s not a better shooter — he’s a way better shooter. Iguodala’s got ice water in his veins.”
The clip would live in infamy on social media, with even Iguodala taking the opposing viewpoint and some Warriors coaches wearing t-shirts paying tribute to it on the same night as his jersey retirement ceremony. But even as it’s been mocked over the course of six years, Kellerman stands by his scorching hot take.
“The point I was making was Steph Curry, I had seen in Game 7 [of the 2016 NBA Finals], I was there on my own dime. I just wanted to see it as a fan,” Kellerman said on The Bill Simmons Podcast. “And they had the greatest half court offense in the history of basketball. They had 73 wins. They were about to be declared the greatest basketball team of all time. It was five minutes left in the fourth quarter in a Game 7 at home. They did not score another point. And you are the point guard and the best player on the team.
“He’s carelessly throwing behind the back passes out of bounds. He’s scared to shoot. When he does shoot, he’s not hitting — I can’t say scared, I don’t know what’s going on in his heart. But that’s what appeared. And the bottom line is that offense didn’t score a single point the rest of the way and lost a Game 7 at home. That to me, is ‘fate of the universe on the line.’ So that’s what what I meant. A guy like Iguodala, open shot, not getting his own shot. I have confidence, Iggy, if he has the shot, he’s gonna take it and nail it.”
Ultimately, Kellerman’s defense of the take isn’t all that different from his initial explanation, when he was arguing wit Stephen A. Smith and Isiah Thomas on the First Take set. And it’s also worth noting that his explanation to Simmons came amid a conversation regarding Eli Manning, another athlete known for rising to the occasion in the clutch, ala Iguodala.
Whether Iguodala was so clutch that he would have been the better option to take an open look over his teammate who is widely considered to be the greatest shooter of all time is ultimately a matter of opinion. Perhaps the bigger lesson here is that when it comes to Kellerman, you can take the sports media personality out of First Take, but you can’t take the First Take out of the sports media personality.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.