Meet Holly Rowe, the ESPN reporter whose awkward live TV interview with NBA stars Jaylin and Jalen Williams went viral
INTERVIEWING has been known as a particularly difficult craft to master, one that can occasionally trip up even the best in the business – like ESPN's Holly Rowe.
Rowe, 57, endured an awkward conversation because of a compliment that came out wrong when she spoke to two Oklahoma City Thunder stars of very similar names after Monday's summer league defeat.
Rowe has been one of ESPN's most versatile broadcasters since joining the network as a full-time staffer in 1998.
The University of Utah alum has covered basketball, soccer, swimming, and track and field for ESPN.
She has also provided play-by-play commentary for college basketball, softball, volleyball, and gymnastics.
In 2021, Rowe became the first-ever female color commentator to call a Utah Jazz game.
READ MORE ON THE NBA
And she has produced and written documentaries and features for both ESPN and local TV stations.
But her Monday interview showed that no amount of experience and talent can prevent slip-ups in the tough industry that is sports journalism – particularly when during live interviews.
Earlier that day, Jalen Williams did all he could to get OKC a win against the Jazz – picking up where he left off after ending his debut NBA season in the All-Rookie first team.
The 12th pick of last year's draft logged a game-high 21 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a block while shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 60 percent for 3.
Most read in Basketball
Jaylin Williams added eight points and 13 boards while Chet Holmgren had 15 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks in his first game since suffering a knee injury last August.
The two Williamses – who are not related – as well as Holmgren and Tre Mann then joined Rowe for a live postgame interview after OKC eventually lost 95-85.
But when the ESPN sportscaster introduced Jalen, she accidentally roasted Jaylin.
Wanting to praise the wing for his performance, Rowe said: "We dubbed you the Jalen Williams tonight," referring to the near identical pronunciation of Jalen and Jaylin's names.
After a quick look at Jaylin, the reporter added: "No offense, young man.
She then turned back to Jalen and asked the former Santa Clara star how he managed to keep up his momentum from the second half of the 2022-23 season.
The interview quickly went viral on social media with one of the videos garnering nearly 100,000 views in 24 hours.
But the Thunder stars seemed to be a good sport about the awkward interaction as the same videos showed Jaylin and Holmgren chuckling after Rowe's comment.
Chet then whispered something into the ex-Arkansas standout's ear while covering his mouth – and the two shared a laugh again.