ESPN denies reporter fell asleep on live TV

Phil Thompson Chicago Tribune

Cleveland Cavaliers beat reporter Brian Windhorst looks like he nodded off during a live ESPN broadcast, but Windhorst implied in a tweet Tuesday that he was simply looking down at his phone.

“SportsCenter” anchor Cari Champion was discussing how Stephen Curry compares to fellow NBA guard Russell Westbrook when she asked Windhorst for his input, but Windhorst appeared to close his eyes and didn’t respond for several seconds.

Just as Champion broke the silence to say the network was experiencing “technical difficulties,” Windhorst began to answer.

Windhorst implied in a tweet that he was looking down to read his phone. “When (at)AdamSchefter looks at his phone on TV he gets endorsement deals. When I do people think I have narcolepsy. (Hashtag)SportsCenterProblems,” he tweeted.

An ESPN spokesperson flatly denied that Windhorst fell asleep in an email to the Chicago Tribune Tuesday afternoon. “Brian did not fall asleep,” the spokesperson said. “He was looking at his phone.”

Thank you for visiting Spokesman.com. To continue reading this story and enjoying our local journalism please subscribe or log in.

You have reached your article limit for this month.

Subscribe now and enjoy unlimited digital access to Spokesman.com

Unlimited Digital Access

Stay connected to Spokane for as little as 99¢!

Subscribe for access

Already a Spokesman-Review subscriber? Activate or Log in

You have reached your article limit for this month.

Subscribe now and enjoy unlimited digital access to Spokesman.com

Unlimited Digital Access

Stay connected to Spokane for as little as 99¢!

Subscribe for access

Already a Spokesman-Review subscriber? Activate or Log in

Oops, it appears there has been a technical problem. To access this content as intended, please try reloading the page or returning at a later time. Already a Spokesman-Review subscriber? Activate or Log in