Brian Windhorst claimed on ESPN that Allen Iverson would be a heavily criticized player in the modern NBA, saying Iverson would chuck shots and that it wouldn’t be okay in today’s more efficient NBA. Former NBA point guard Jason Williams didn’t like that take, attacking Windhorst with some harsh words.
“The only thing that stood out to me about that was his neck. How can anybody say anything negative about Allen Iverson, of all people, or just anyone in general, with a neck like that? That’s all I’m gonna say. He said Allen Iverson would shoot 41% in the league, it looks like he ate 41 donuts. That’s the last guy, I give Stephen A. credit because we have some footage of him shooting a jump shot. What has Brian Windhorst ever done athletically?
Jason Williams calls out Brian Windhorst after Windhorst comments that Allen Iverson's inefficiency wouldn't be acceptable in today's NBA
"How can anybody say anything negative about Allen Iverson, of all people, or just anyone in general, with a neck like that?" 😳
(🎥… pic.twitter.com/c1rK0etoBT
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 7, 2024
No one will argue about Windhorst’s physical appearance but the shots at his eating habits seemed a little excessive and honestly unnecessary. Windhorst didn’t disparage Iverson but observed that stars today are expected to score more efficiently. Iverson’s poor field goal percentage was a product of the time as well with far more aggressive defensive rules in place to limit scoring.
If athletic achievement is the requirement to give opinions on sports, a lot of the most respected writers and analysts would be out of a job. We constantly get wild takes from former athletes as well like Gilbert Arenas. Can we take those takes more seriously than Windhorst just because Arenas is a former NBA All-Star?
That isn’t necessarily fair given how we see plenty of examples of non-athletic journalists or even coaches with an expert understanding of the game.
Brian Windhorst Has Had Some Bad Takes Over His Career
Even with Windhorst being a little unfairly attacked, a long career as a talking head means he has had his fair share of bad takes. One of the most recent ones was his proclamation that De’Aaron Fox is the NBA’s next superstar after the emergence of the Sacramento Kings last season. Fox couldn’t even make the All-Star game this season, let alone take a spot as one of the league’s premier stars.
Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Windy also picked the Toronto Raptors as a sleeper team in the East who could make a major acquisition to solidify their win-now core. Instead, they were lambasted for not blowing it up in 2023 and finally started rebuilding this season by trading Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby away.
One of the main topics he has consistently been wrong about is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Windhorst was one of the primary voices behind the rumors of Giannis’ discontentment with the Bucks in 2020 and again said last season that Giannis would not extend with the Bucks. The Greek Freak proved him wrong in 2020 and again this offseason, extending his contract after the team acquired Damian Lillard.
Nobody shoots 100% from the field and this includes the analysts we see on TV. They get takes right and they get takes wrong. Windhorst has been such a public face of ESPN that he often ends up absorbing a lot of hate from fans. He’ll get more takes wrong in the future as well, but that’s the nature of giving opinions on basketball for a living.
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