Pat McAfee already had to hear from Ben Stiller when his rousing speech during the NBA Eastern Conference Finals felt insulting to New York celebrities in attendance, and now he has to hear from a big name from Indiana: John Mellencamp. Despite McAfee hyping up the Indiana Pacers fans as they defeated the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the NBA playoffs, the Hoosier-born singer wasn’t a fan of the ESPN commentator’s behavior.
The Indiana Pacers didn’t have many celebrity supporters in the building during Game 4, so it’s a shame that two of their biggest ones may be at odds. In a statement made two days after McAfee’s big speech, Mellencamp released the following on X:
The Knicks/Pacers games have been very entertaining for anyone who likes basketball or sports. I attended Game 4 in Indianapolis. ‘Hoosier Hospitality’ …I was embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don’t know, called out some of the people who had made the trip from New York to support their team — and in turn, support our team. The audience booed these people. I’d say that was not Hoosier Hospitality. One could only say it’s poor, poor sportsmanship. I was not proud to be a Hoosier, and I’ve lived here my entire life. On behalf of most Hoosiers, I would like to apologize for our poor behavior. I’m sure the Pacers had nothing to do with this smackdown.
rib at Pat McAfee being a WWE commentator. No doubt, McAfee’s wrestling experience led him to give what was reportedly an impromptu speech that was not rehearsed ahead of delivery. It’s worth noting that as someone living in Indiana, I’ve seen many residents collectively confused by the singer’s issue with what seemed like a mostly light-hearted diss to Timothée Chalamet and others.
drop a cryptic message on social media, he wasn’t afraid to let people on X know who the singer was talking about in this scathing message: