During the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament Championship game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers, ESPN had an alternate NBA broadcast titled Unplugged, featuring comedian/actor Kevin Hart. During the broadcast, Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley appeared and brought up Oklahoma City Thunder’s Josh Giddey.
Giddey is currently being investigated by law enforcement and the NBA after rumors surfaced involving him having an inappropriate relationship with a minor. Despite the allegations, the NBA has yet to act and Giddey has been playing for the Thunder.
Beverley’s appearance came during the fourth quarter of the game when he said to Hart: “I’ve got a daughter and I like to call myself a girl dad. What do you think about the Josh Giddey situation?”
Beverley didn’t mince his words. He took the opportunity to speak on a topic he felt deserved more attention and used a global platform in ESPN to raise awareness. In a league filled with adults, plenty of players have families and daughters, including Beverley. With that said, it is reasonable for him to feel passionate about the matter.
However, being that ESPN and the NBA created this alternate broadcast involving Hart to be a fun and lighthearted broadcast, the actor/comedian did his best to avoid the topic and move on.
In response, Hart deferred to others on the show before Beverley reiterated the question, to which Hart replied: “Pat, I heard your question, but I’m going to tell you what I do real well, deflect. I am a brand parent, being a brand. I’ll text you and give you my real thoughts, but right now on NBA Unplugged, I’m going to keep it as commercial as I possibly can.”
