There was an extremely awkward segment on NBA TV on Friday night when former basketball star Sam Mitchell was harassed by his on-air colleague making a joke related to his salary.
Host Chris Miles asked Mitchell about the fact that Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn’t receive a gold medal for leading the U.S. men’s Olympic team to glory last summer in Paris.
“I guess it just tells you (in) the international (game) how they value coaches – not at all,” Mitchell laughed.
Miles then poked some fun at former Raptors head coach Mitchell, saying, “I’m surprised coaches get paid for this show.” Maybe you should do this pro-bono, my friend.
It was clear that Miles struck a chord, as Mitchell said his salary was, in fact, “pretty close” to pro-bono before accusing Miles of “flaunting” about his money and threatening to reveal his home address .
Sam Mitchell got angry on NBA TV when host Chris Miles talked about his salary
Seen around 1989, Mitchell enjoyed a 13-year NBA career spent primarily with the Timberwolves.
‘Sorry, did you rent your beach house in Florida during the hurricane?… How was your house in Buckhead, (Georgia)?’
Miles reacted in disbelief, but Mitchell pressed on, accusing him of calling him and “screaming broke and hungry.”
“I know what you have and where you live, young man, so you need to stop,” he continued.
Miles, still with a sheepish smile on his face, accused Mitchell of being a “snitch” before Mitchell said he was actually a “truth teller.”
“You have to stop messing with me on national television,” he continued. ‘…Do I need to give the address? Because you’re not home right now.
After nearly 90 seconds of the strange interaction, Miles finally brought Mitchell to another topic as they discussed the Blazers-Clippers preseason game being played in Seattle.
But they weren’t done yet. Minutes later, in another segment, Mitchell revealed Miles’ address in Destin, Florida.
—Have you already installed the pool? Mitchell asked.
Miles, seen in April 2023 with the NHL Stanley Cup, is a host for NBA TV
Mitchell urged Miles to “stop picking on me on national television” after his initial comment.
Naturally, fans were quite stunned by the incident that spread online.
‘Damn, that was personal!’ said one.
‘Don’t joke about a man and his money. Probably not the first time either,” added another.
“A young man was asking for it,” added a third.
Mitchell played 13 years in the NBA, mainly with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he concluded his career in the 2001-02 season.
He averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game throughout his career.
Mitchell, now 61, later served as an assistant coach with the Bucks, Nets, Timberwolves and Grizzlies, which was his last coaching stint between 2018 and 2019.
He was the head coach of the Raptors from 2004 to 2008 and was also the interim head coach of Minnesota from 2015 to 2016.