Classless NBA TV pop-up causes anger after death of basketball icon

Australian’s may feel frustrated by live sport TV ads, but it’s on another level in the United States — and this one has flopped hard.

Australian’s may feel frustrated by TV ads sneaking into the middle of live sport events, but it’s on another level in the United States — and this one has flopped hard.

There are times when commercials can be cleverly inserted in the middle of sporting contests — getting in and out of TV broadcasts like a special forces unit.

This wasn’t one of those occasions.

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Eyebrows have been raised after NBA broadcaster TNT used an unfortunate moment to squeeze in an advertisement for Kia during the Lakers’ season opener on Wednesday (AEDT).

The telecast appeared to heading towards a touching moment of sharing tributes for NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo, who died last month. But it came to a sudden halt when the broadcast team paid the bills with a quick spruik of the car manufacturer.

TNT broadcaster Ian Eagle interrupted analyst Stan Van Gundy right when he was talking about his brother Jeff’s relationship with Mutombo, who died at the age of 58 from brain cancer.

The NBA on TNT panned to an ad of Kia. Photo: Twitter, @awfulannouncing.

“Of course, the NBA world just had a tough loss with Dikembe Mutombo’s passing,” Van Gundy said.

It was an emotional subject for Van Gundy. His brother Jeff coached Mutombo at the Houston Rockets.

Eagle interjected at the beginning of the sad conversation, The New York Post reports.

“NBA on TNT, brought to you by the Kia Telluride X-line. Kia, the official automotive partner of the NBA,” he said.

“Yeah, that was terrible news in regards to Dikembe, who has been such an ambassador of the game in addition to his Hall of Fame career.”

As Eagle interrupted, the TNT broadcast panned to a broader image of the Kia logo next to a TNT Sports emblem while Minnesota centre Rudy Gobert prepared to shoot free throws.

Dikembe Mutombo is remembered as one of he greatest to ever play the game. Photo by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images.

The awkward exchange, which was criticised by some for being insensitive, occurred in the opening quarter. It did not go down well.

One Twitter user called it “terrible”.

Another Twitter user posted: “Did they just interrupt a Mutombo remembrance to do an nba on tnt ad read”.

Mutombo played in the NBA for 19 seasons, which included eight All-Star selections and four Defensive Player of the Year awards.

He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2015 and tallied the second-most blocks in league history.

Kia, meanwhile, has been a sponsor of the NBA since 2007. The company was paying the NBA roughly $12 million per year in its previous deal that expired in 2021, according to sportsbusiness.com.

Originally published as Classless NBA TV pop-up causes anger after death of basketball icon