There was an extremely awkward segment on NBA TV Friday night as former basketball star Sam Mitchell was set off by his on-air colleague making a joke related to his salary.
Mitchell was asked by host Chris Miles about the fact that Warriors coach Steve Kerr did not receive a gold medal for coaching the USA men’s Olympic team to glory this past summer in Paris.
‘I guess it just tells you [in] international [play] how they value coaches – not at all,’ Mitchell laughed.
Miles then poked a bit of fun at Mitchell – a former head coach for the Raptors – by saying, ‘I’m surprised coaches get a paycheck for this show. Maybe you should do this pro-bono, my friend.’
It was clear that Miles struck a nerve, as Mitchell said his salary was in fact ‘pretty close’ to pro-bono before accusing Miles of ‘bragging’ about his money and threatening to reveal the address of his home.
Sam Mitchell was set off on NBA TV when host Chris Miles touched on his salary
Mitchell, seen circa 1989, enjoyed a 13-year NBA career mostly spent with the Timberwolves
‘I’m sorry, did you rent your beach house out down in Florida during the Hurricane?… How about your town house in Buckhead, [Georgia]?’
Miles reacted in disbelief but Mitchell kept going, accusing him of calling him out and ‘screaming broke and hungry.’
‘I know what you have and where you live young fella, so you need to stop,’ he continued.
Miles, still with a sheepish grin on his face, accused Mitchell of being a ‘snitch’ before Mitchell said he was in fact a ‘truth teller.’
‘You gotta stop messing with me on national TV,’ he went on to say. ‘… Do I need to give out the address? Because you’re not at home right now.’
After nearly 90 seconds of the bizarre interaction, Miles finally got Mitchell to another topic as they discussed the Blazers-Clippers preseason game being played in Seattle.
Nonetheless, fans were left pretty stunned by the incident as it spread online.
‘Damn, that was personal!,’ one said.
Miles, seen in April 2023 with the NHL’s Stanley Cup, is an on-air host for NBA TV
Mitchell urged Miles to ‘stop messing with me on national TV’ after his initial remark
‘Don’t joke about a man and his money. This probably [not] the first time either,’ another added.
‘Young fella was asking for it,’ a third added.
Mitchell played 13 years in the NBA, mostly with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he wrapped up his career in the 2001-02 season.
He averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest over his career.
Mitchell, now 61, later went on to serve as an assistant coach with the Bucks, Nets, Timberwolves and Grizzlies, which was his last coaching stint from 2018-19.
He was the Raptors’ head coach from 2004-08 and was also Minnesota’s interim head coach from 2015-16.
