Advertisement - scroll for more content
In the footage, the Statue of Liberty is visible in the foreground and, at the very bottom of the screen, the tops of the Twin Towers are unmistakably visible in the distance. "We mistakenly used an old stock image and we apologize," senior director, communications at ESPN Ben Cafardo wrote Sunday in an email statement to Awful Announcing.
As Game 1 of the Miami Heat’s game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden went into halftime, the ABC broadcast cut to B-roll footage of New York and the Statue of Liberty. It was supposed to be one of those scenic, on-location shots that are typical for literally every sports broadcast. Except, in this shot, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were visible in the frame.
This did in fact air on ABC. https://t.co/hsDSYXQUg6 pic.twitter.com/mnOFk8hvrd
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 30, 2023
Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Mark Cuban bought and donated a set of drawings of the World Trade Center by the late architectural illustrator Carlos Diniz. The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York will display the donated renderings.
Ted Leonsis: I was there the day prior to the first game after 9-11 when Michael Jordan went to Ground Zero at the World Trade Center. He respectfully and confidentially met with first responders—talking with them, consoling them and thanking them—no camera crews or media allowed as he was not seeking acclaim or press attention. He was not even concerned with his own personal safety and well-being—just unselfishness and teamwork. I was there when Michael Jordan walked the floor of the New York Stock Exchange meeting with business leaders and the traders on Wall Street. He thanked them for helping to get the economy back up and running. He then rang the closing bell for the country’s first day back to business after 9-11.
Advertisement
“I told every one of the players the week before the whole thing with Rudy Gobert broke that this will be your 9/11,” Sikka said. “This will be the event that defines your young adult life. “I remember where I was when the World Trade Center was hit. These guys are going to remember where they were when they found out about Rudy. They’re going to remember where they were when the found out the season being postponed, when the tournament got canceled. All that is going to be with them for the rest of their life.”
The Bosnian Beast will most likely be on a minutes restriction, at least for the first handful of games as he works his way back into game shape. Thus, Whiteside will probably play starter's minutes even if he isn't out on the floor when the ball is tipped. But, could the Blazers go with the Twin Towers and play both centers together? Whiteside thinks so. I think it’ll be good. Melo posts up 80% of the time, so it’s not going to be a spacing issue or anything. I think we’ll be a force out there. Even when we’re in a game, I think we can play minutes together and then we can rotate in and out. -- Trail Blazers big man Hassan Whiteside on playing alongside Jusuf Nurkic
"Philly's saying all the right things, about those two forming a Twin Towers kind of frontcourt in the future," said one league executive, referring to pairing Nerlens Noel with Embiid. "But think about it. Nerlens Noel didn't play at all this year. And don't forget about the whole Andrew Bynum fiasco! Do they want to risk going through all that again? I don't think so. If they draft Embiid, it won't be to keep him."
Len arrived in College Park, Md., not knowing the language or culture of America, let alone an American. Essence Townsend changed all that, forming the Twin Towers of a different sort when the 6-foot-7 center from the women’s team and New Jersey met the 7-1 center from the men’s team and Ukraine. It began innocently enough at an ice cream social for basketball players to start the 2011-12 school year. Townsend, a junior then, was just being social when she introduced herself to Len, yelling as people often do so that a foreigner can understand English. A teammate told her, “That’s going to be your future man,” and she got mad. Len friended her on Facebook. They high-fived in hallways. They rebounded for each other. “One day, I guess he finally got the courage to ask me to come hang out,” she said.
Advertisement
Nothing leveled him like Sept. 11, 2001. When he took a PATH train from Newark into the underground station at the World Trade Center, he exited to an escalator leading to the shopping concourse above. Upon walking off the escalator, he heard a loud boom and recognized a change in the air. "You could tell something was going to happen," he says. Glass shards exploded from windows, revolving doors blew open. A wind gust knocked him backward and he rolled over two times before regaining balance. Trapped inside, Irving, known to friends as "Ice" for his steely composure, rushed out, dodging debris, dust and ash falling from American Airlines Flight 11, the jet airliner that crashed into the North Tower's upper reaches. "It looked like it was snowing," Irving says. "It was like a dream." Bodies fell around him. He stopped at the corner of Church and Barclay and looked up, amazed by the massive, fiery hole in the building. "I ran for my life," he says. "Everything happened in slow motion."
According to an eye witness at courtside, Howard was standing next to Bobcats center Kwame Brown when he shouted to Charlotte’s coaches, “Hey, wouldn’t I look great here next to Kwame? Twin Towers – Kwame and me.’’ Having heard this I got Bobcats coach Paul Silas aside after the game to confirm this happened. Before I could finish my question, Silas gave me a familiar grin and started laughing almost conspiratorially.
The lineup hasn’t been overly successful over the years because the team struggles with spacing offensively. Neither Gortat nor Howard could shoot outside jumpers (note that sentence says “could,” not “can”), thus clogging the lane and straying the Magic away from their 4-out, 1-in offense surrounding Howard. But the Magic appear to be giving the lineup another shot, focusing on it early in an effort to be more prepared with the Twin Towers lineup when they decide to use it this season. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is giving it a shot. “He told me he’s going to give me a chance to show what I can do, and we’re definitely thinking about it as one of the options on our team,” Gortat said. “He’s trying to give me confidence at the four. I’ve gotta get used to it.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement