Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard had a major gaffe on air after he called James Harden a slur and then attempted to clean it up with an equally bad apology.
It was a regular episode of the sports talk debate show “First Things First” until the topic of the trade between the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers came up. The blockbuster trade ended the long battle between James Harden and his former team’s president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey. The issues started after Harden called Morey “a liar” and said that he “will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of” at a Chinese basketball camp over the summer.
Chris Broussard is under fire after he used the word “retarded” on TV when talking about James Harden. (Photos: @chrisbroussard68/Instagram; Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
On Monday evening Harden was traded to the Clippers along with his teammates P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev. The 76ers received Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, KJ Martin, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks, a 2029 pick swap, and an additional first-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Harden reunited with his two-time teammate Russell Westbrook, as well as NBA superstars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Harden’s new role on the Clippers is being questioned by fans and analysts alike, as they wonder how he will fit into the team.
That was one of the topics that Chris Broussard and his co-hosts Nick Wright and Kevin Wildes discussed on the Oct. 31 episode of the FS1 show. Broussard believed that Harden would have to take a back seat scoring-wise and focus on being a facilitator. Wright said that Harden wouldn’t work well on the team, and he would begin to “mope” when he doesn’t play how he wants.
Broussard caught viewers off guard as he shouted across the table, “You think he’s going to play like he did in Houston,” Broussard asked in reference to Harden’s future in Los Angeles. “Nick, is the man retarded?”
The camera cut to Wildes, who seemed to be in disbelief over what he heard. Wright immediately responded, “You shouldn’t use that word, but sure.” To which Broussard then corrected himself with “developmentally disabled.”
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The Harden discussion continued until Broussard paused the conversation to issue a quick apology.
“Let me apologize for using that word. I’m sorry,” said the analyst. “I have a, my first cousin, we just put him to rest, he died a few months ago, or a month or two ago. He was developmentally disabled, so I didn’t mean to use that word.”
Wright seemingly accepted Broussard’s apology, responding with, “Of course. That’s very kind of you. I don’t think anyone would kill you for it.”
After the clip began making its rounds on social media, it appears that not all fans agreed with Wright. Some found some comedy in Broussard’s major slip-up, while others called for him to be canceled and removed from television.
One viewer said, “Chris Broussard calling James Harden r—ed then apologizing by saying he recently had a cousin who’s r——ed die as his disclaimer is the craziest thing I think I’ve ever seen on any sports talk TV show.”
Chris Broussard calling James Harden retarded then apologizing by saying he recently had a cousin who’s retarded die as his disclaimer is the craziest thing I think I’ve ever seen on any sports talk tv show
— Evan Mobley the Good Dinosaur (@koi_fish69420) November 1, 2023
Another commenter wasn’t as nice in their response, tweeting, “What @Chris_Broussard said today on @FS1 is absolutely infuriating and appalling. As a father of a developmentally delayed child, there is no place in the world for that. @FOXSports should fire him immediately, especially after he tried giving that half-a-s apology.”
While some fans didn’t feel like Broussard’s apology was enough, FS1 seemingly did. Broussard appeared on the Nov. 1 episode of “First Things First,” and he nor any of the cohosts made mention of the on-air SNAFU.
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