[Saba Sports News] Damian Lillard made a spectacular debut with the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, lighting up the Philadelphia 76ers for 39 points in their narrow 118-117 victory at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The seven-time All-Star also contributed 14 of the Bucks’ final 16 points in the game’s last four minutes.
ESPN shared Lillard’s post-game interview, featuring a captivating soundbite—or so it appeared. In the clip, Lillard exclaimed, “Ain’t nothing I want more. I told you when I first came here I said, ‘I didn’t come to waste my time.'”
This viral video posted by ESPN garnered over 3.5 million views as of the time of writing. However, Lillard’s message would have been a strong contender for the quote of the year if it weren’t already three years old.
ESPN had reposted footage of Lillard’s post-game interview from August 2020, which followed his remarkable 61-point performance in the NBA bubble. Notably, ESPN not only edited Lillard’s jersey to make it appear as a Bucks uniform but also superimposed an ESPN logo over the original NBA on TNT logo.
The reactions to this post were likely not what the ESPN social media manager had anticipated. While editing a different jersey onto a player’s photo for online engagement is one thing, presenting an old interview from a different broadcasting company as one’s own is quite another, regardless of intent.