ESPN's coverage of the 2026 NBA Draft nearly went off the rails Tuesday night due to an uncomfortable moment involving Richard Jefferson and Jay Williams.
During the late stages of ESPN's first-round coverage, the network shared a clip of the Chicago Bulls selecting Williams with the No. 2 pick in 2002. Jefferson couldn't help but poke fun at Williams, who had his career cut short due to a motorcycle crash.
"They also didn't see the future coming, so they were cheering," Jefferson said in regards to the Bulls fans during the 2002 draft.
Kenny Smith quickly entered the conversation and said, "His career trajectory would've been a lot different if he didn't like motorcycles." Instead of letting this debate stop right there, Jefferson threw yet another jab at Williams.
"I guess everybody that goes to Duke isn't that smart," Jefferson added.
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Did Richard Jefferson cross the line?
Most NBA fans believe Jefferson was a bit too harsh during Tuesday night's draft coverage.
"This is brutal and I hate Duke, but how many times is he going to have to fake laugh on a poor decision he made in his early 20’s on camera?" one fan asked.
"Kind of a cheap shot here by Richard Jefferson," a second person wrote.
"Is RJ still sore about Jay bringing up the 2001 national championship results? Seems like something lingering," a fan commented. "So odd."
"RJ isn't likable to me. Nobody has dined more off the 2016 title than him for doing less work," another fan declared.
Clearly, fans think Jefferson is still fuming over Arizona's loss to Duke in the 2001 national campionship game.
For what it's worth though, Williams will always get the last laugh since he helped Duke win the title that season.
