Tag: Glenn Consor

LeBron James wants Kevin Porter Jr. to know of his support

“Kevin Porter Jr. looks up to me, and it’s my obligation to make sure that he knows that I have his back,” LeBron James said Thursday in the aftermath of the Rockets-Wizards announcing fallout.

One week ago, when the Los Angeles Lakers narrowly escaped Houston with a win, future Hall of Famer LeBron James made it clear that he had respect for Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. as a basketball player.

A week later, James is showing that he has interest in Porter as a person, as well, and he’s using both his media interviews and his massive Twitter platform (with more than 50 million followers) to do so.

After Porter’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer on Wednesday night in Washington, a controversy erupted when the Wizards’ TV broadcast analyst, Glenn Consor, made a mistaken reference to Porter’s late father.

“You’ve got to give credit,” Consor said on the air. “Kevin Porter Jr., like his dad, pulled that trigger right at the right time.”

Porter Jr.’s father, Bryan Kevin Porter Sr., pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in a shooting death of a 14-year-old girl in 1993. He was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison. Porter Sr. died in 2004 after being shot in a South Seattle bar, when Porter Jr. was only four years old.

Consor apologized on Thursday morning and said he mistakenly believed Porter’s father was Kevin Porter, a 71-year-old who played for the Baltimore and Washington Bullets in the 1970s and early 1980s.

But James — who called out Consor on Twitter for being “insensitive” and said it would not fly — said later in the day that he has no regrets over his tweet, even if Consor’s regrettable phrase was uttered without intent. In explaining his reaction, James invoked his personal relationship with Porter, as well as a lack of due diligence on the analyst’s part.

“The kid, Kevin Porter Jr., has already been placed with a label in this league already.” James told reporters. “We don’t know what triggers can happen. … For that kid to make that game-winning shot, (and) that sentence that he used… no matter if he knew if that was his dad or not, it should have never been used in the first place.”

“I can’t let that ride on behalf of a kid that looks up to me,” James concluded. “Kevin Porter Jr. looks up to me, and it’s my obligation to make sure that he knows that I have his back. That’s just the simple fact.”

James’ comments continued for several minutes. His complete remarks can be viewed at the start of the embedded video below.

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Wizards announcer apologizes to Kevin Porter Jr. for father reference

Wizards announcer Glenn Consor apologized to Houston’s Kevin Porter Jr. and explained his mistaken belief that former Bullets guard Kevin Porter was Porter Jr.’s father.

Wizards announcer Glenn Consor, a television analyst for NBC Sports Washington, issued a direct apology Thursday to Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. for a mistaken reference he made during on-air analysis of Porter Jr.’s winning 3-pointer a night earlier.

“You’ve got to give credit,” Consor said on the air. “Kevin Porter Jr., like his dad, pulled that trigger right at the right time.”

Porter Jr.’s father, Bryan Kevin Porter Sr., pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in a shooting death of a 14-year-old girl in 1993. He was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison. Porter Sr. died in 2004 after being shot in a South Seattle bar, when Porter Jr. was only four years old.

Given that context, Consor’s remark was widely condemned on social media, including by NBA legend and future Hall of Famer LeBron James.

However, Consor said he did not know that context. On Thursday, Consor said he was mistakenly under the belief that former Baltimore and Washington Bullets player Kevin Porter was Porter Jr.’s father.

His apology to Porter Jr. reads:

Please allow me to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to Kevin Porter Jr., his family, and the Rockets organization for the comments I made during last night’s game.

I mistakenly thought that Kevin was the son of former Washington player Kevin Porter and was unaware that the words I chose to describe his game-winning shot would be in any way hurtful or insensitive. I have reached out to Kevin to personally apologize and hope to be able to talk with him soon.

The former Bullets guard is now 71 years old, while the Rockets’ Porter Jr. is 21 — making for a 50-year age gap.

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Wizards announcer under fire for reference to Kevin Porter Jr.’s father

Wizards analyst Glenn Consor is facing heavy criticism after making a grim on-air reference to the father of Houston’s Kevin Porter Jr. following his winning shot on Wednesday night.

When Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. beat the buzzer with a winning 3-pointer in Washington on Wednesday evening, the celebration by the team and its recently suspended floor general went viral.

Overnight, the shot went viral again — but for a very different and unfortunate reason. Glenn Consor, an NBC Sports Washington analyst, analyzed Porter’s step-back shot on the Wizards’ television broadcast, and here’s what he had to say of the decisive moment:

You’ve got to give credit. Kevin Porter Jr., like his dad, pulled that trigger right at the right time.

Porter Jr.’s father, Bryan Kevin Porter Sr., pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in a shooting death of a 14-year-old girl in 1993. He was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison. Porter Sr. died in 2004 after being shot in a South Seattle bar, when Porter Jr. was only four years old.

It’s possible that Consor believed a different Kevin Porter, who played several seasons with the Baltimore Bullets and Washington Bullets from 1972 until 1983, was Porter Jr.’s father. But that Porter is now 71 years old, and Porter Jr. is 21 — making for a 50-year age gap.

Expect Consor and the Wizards to address the situation on Thursday based on the growing backlash, including a tweet by future Hall of Famer LeBron James that strongly condemned the comments.

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