These sports press conferences were insane. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most memorable press conferences where things went off the rails in the most unexpected, and often hilarious, ways.
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00:00You go out and you tweet to the heavyweight champion of the world that he can have your
00:04leftovers?
00:05Well, he'll…
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the most memorable press conferences where
00:12things went off the rails in the most unexpected and often hilarious ways.
00:18That's how I feel.
00:22LeBron James makes a cool exit
00:23I don't know what J.R. was thinking, I don't know the question you're trying to ask.
00:27Winning one of the 2018 NBA Finals ended in a crushing loss for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
00:32Although LeBron James delivered an impressive 51-point performance, the Cavs lost in overtime
00:37thanks to J.R. Smith's decision to dribble out the clock instead of going for the basket.
00:41There's still confusion about whether J.R. thought the game was tied or whether he thought
00:46you guys were ahead.
00:47From where you stood on the court and from talking to him after the play, what's your
00:51reaction to it?
00:52What's your version?
00:53At the post-game press conference, James was grilled by an ESPN reporter about what exactly
00:58Smith could have been thinking.
01:00Even after making it abundantly clear that he had no clue, the reporter still didn't
01:04let up.
01:05Finally, a frustrated James calmly stood up, grabbed his bag, and cut the conference short,
01:09making sure to tell the reporter to do better tomorrow on his way out.
01:12Did you know if he knew the score?
01:19Dirk Nowitzki kills bug
01:21Not many of us can resist the urge to squash a bug.
01:24Not even NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki.
01:26After a strong start in the 2006 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, Nowitzki sat for a
01:31press conference to talk about how he was feeling.
01:33However, his attention was diverted by a bug crawling across the table where he sat.
01:38And that was big and got us back in the game in the second quarter.
01:43Any other questions?
01:46Without missing a beat, Nowitzki flattened the bug with his fist and flicked it away,
01:50seemingly only realizing his surroundings afterwards.
01:52Nevertheless, the reporters found the unexpected distraction hilarious and had a good laugh,
01:57before moving on to game questions.
01:59But honestly, we're still dying to know how the bug was feeling after that crushing blow.
02:05Marshawn Lynch doesn't want to get fined
02:09As a football player, it's important to stick to a consistent message when dealing with
02:13the press.
02:14So you really can't blame former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch for delivering
02:17the exact same line 29 times during a press conference.
02:21Lynch had been fined by the NFL for dodging media duties in the past, so at the Super
02:24Bowl media day in 2015, he decided to give the absolute bare minimum.
02:28I'm just here so I won't get fined, boss.
02:29I'm just here so I won't get fined.
02:32He stayed with reporters just long enough to meet the requirement and responded to all
02:3629 questions he was asked with the same answer.
02:38At least he managed to add some flair by varying his inflection each time.
02:42If only we knew why exactly he was there.
02:45Hey, I'm just here so I don't get fined.
02:47Jim Boeheim gets aggressive with a microphone.
02:50Turn this thing down or off, either one, I don't care which it is.
02:54Former Syracuse University basketball coach Jim Boeheim is well known for his aggressive
02:58attitude towards reporters, but during a 2008 post-game discussion about his team's win
03:02over Long Beach State, it wasn't a journalist that drew his ire, it was a microphone.
03:11After its shrill feedback interrupted him one too many times, Boeheim asked for it to
03:15be turned off.
03:16When that didn't happen, he took matters into his own hands, literally, by smacking the
03:20device down.
03:21Hey, Christoph, why is this like this to me?
03:25He may not be fond of feedback from the media, but this microphone's feedback clearly pushed
03:29him over the edge.
03:30Apparently, no one, not even inanimate objects, are safe from Jim Boeheim's wrath.
03:39Meta Sandiford Artest's bonkers post-game conference
03:42In 2010, Meta Sandiford Artest, then known as Ron Artest, played a key role in securing
03:50a victory for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
03:53Despite being with the team for only a year, Artest shone in Game 7 against the Boston
03:57Celtics, earning his first championship ring and the title of Most Valuable Player.
04:02His excitement about all of this was on full display at the post-game press conference.
04:05Artest waltzed in on a high, snatching up a Wheaties box and launching into hilarious
04:10tangents, often forgetting the questions completely.
04:13He then thanked his doctor, Kobe Bryant, and even introduced his entire family to the press.
04:17The man was simply thrilled to be there and overflowing with gratitude for his win.
04:21You know, like I told you, I'm not good at those moments, and I want to be good at those
04:24moments.
04:25It's like when you're not good at a three-point shot, you want to be good.
04:28Allen Iverson's practice rant
04:29I don't want to deal with this, man.
04:31I don't want to go through this s**t.
04:33I don't want to deal with this.
04:35After lighting up the court with the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2000 and 2001 season, Allen
04:40Iverson kicked off the next season with sky-high expectations.
04:43However, his performance fell short, which only gave coach Larry Brown more fuel to criticize
04:47him for missing team practice.
04:49When he was questioned about this during a press conference, Iverson launched into what
04:53is now one of the most unforgettable rants in sports history.
04:55If I can't practice, I can't practice, man.
04:57If I'm hurt, I'm hurt.
04:59Clearly baffled that his commitment to practice was being questioned rather than, you know,
05:03his actual gameplay, Iverson uttered the word practice a staggering 22 times.
05:07Not a game.
05:08Not a game.
05:09Not a game.
05:10We talking about practice.
05:14Not a game.
05:16Not the game that I go out there and die for.
05:20The moment has become so legendary it's still being quoted to this day, and was even spoofed
05:24in an episode of Ted Lassa.
05:25Relax, Ted.
05:26It's just practice.
05:32Coach Kevin Borseth's Explosive Rant
05:34Being fiery on the court can give you that competitive edge, but when you lose, where
05:37does all that fire go?
05:39For University of Michigan women's basketball coach Kevin Borseth, it ignited in a press
05:43room after a devastating loss back in 2008.
05:46That's how I feel.
05:49Damn sick and tired of getting out-rebounded.
05:5225 offensive rebounds, first time we block out, we get called for a damn block out.
05:57Borseth stormed in, flung his clipboard at the podium, and yanked off his glasses in
06:01a fit of rage, launching into a rant before he could even be questioned.
06:05His frustration was understandable.
06:07The Michigan team had squandered a double-digit lead against the University of Wisconsin,
06:11missed a series of offensive rebounds, and ultimately lost.
06:14After about a minute of yelling, Borseth finally cooled down, apologized, and walked off.
06:18Well, at least he said sorry.
06:20Sorry.
06:21I apologize, but I'm very frustrated.
06:23Tiger Woods hugs it out.
06:25And we just, oh, there's Tiger Woods hugging his mother.
06:30Once the golden boy of golf, Tiger Woods saw his pristine image take a nosedive when
06:34news of his extramarital affairs broke.
06:36Granted, he lost a few sponsorships as a result and had a reputation to mend, but it was still
06:40pretty wild that Woods felt the need to host a press conference to apologize for something
06:44so personal.
06:45I have bitterly disappointed all of you.
06:51I have made you question who I am and how I could have done the things I did.
06:58The event started off normally enough, Woods owned up to his selfish and irresponsible
07:02actions, and seemed genuinely contrite.
07:04But then after the speech, he hugged his mom.
07:07Then another person, and another, until it felt more like a celebration than an apology.
07:11So while he kicked things off strong, the ending was, well, a bit of a head-scratcher.
07:15George W. Bush shoeing incident
07:18In December 2008, with just a month left in office, George W. Bush traveled to Baghdad
07:22for a joint press conference with the Iraqi Prime Minister.
07:25As the meeting wrapped up, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar Al-Zaidi suddenly took off his shoes
07:29and threw both of them at Bush in quick succession.
07:36This bold move was Al-Zaidi's way of protesting Bush's decision to invade Iraq, and the chaos
07:41that followed.
07:42Fortunately for Bush, his reflexes were quick and he managed to dodge getting hit by both
07:46shoes.
07:47Al-Zaidi, however, wasn't as lucky.
07:48He was pounced upon by security agents and dragged out of the room.
07:52He ended up serving nine months of a three-year
08:08sentence for assaulting a foreign head of state.
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08:26Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis pre-fight brawl
08:29The 2002 showdown between Lennox the Lion Lewis and former Undisputed Heavyweight Champion
08:33Mike Tyson was one of the year's most anticipated fights.
08:36But a few months prior, a press conference at the Hudson Theater in New York already
08:40gave everyone a preview of what was to come.
08:50As Lewis took the stage, Tyson charged towards him only to be intercepted by his bodyguard.
09:02This quickly sparked a full-on brawl between both camps, with punches and kicks being thrown
09:06from either side.
09:07In the end, Tyson, who barked the loudest at the press conference, failed to bite when
09:11it mattered, as he ultimately lost the actual match to Lewis.
09:14Did you catch any of these unpredictable press conferences live?
09:26Let us know in the comments below.
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