ESPN viewers are worried about analyst Brian Windhorst after a sleepless night in Dallas.
NBA Insider admitted he “didn’t sleep” due to the violent storms in Texas on Tuesday.
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Windhorst called into Wednesday’s edition of First Take alongside Stephen A. Smith and host Molly Qerim.
He’s currently in town to cover the Dallas Mavericks’ NBA playoff series with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota avoided a sweep on Tuesday night by recording a 105-100 victory in Game 4.
But Windhorst revealed he had a restless night following a wave of storms.
“Stephen A., first off, enjoy your sweep,” Windhorst said, referring to lead analyst Smith’s coverage of the Boston Celtics’ 4-0 triumph over the Indiana Pacers.
“I want you to savor this scrape, because not all of us are so lucky.
“Here’s the situation. We don’t sleep here in Dallas because of the storms. We don’t have WiFi.
“Wow,” replied a surprised Smith over his own video link from Miami.
“But it’s the playoffs,” Windhorst added.
“Let’s move forward. It’s Mr. Smith, it’s Mr. Russo. Here we are, let’s go.”
Millions were left without power as storms with “baseball-sized hail” ravaged the Dallas area, for CBS.
Authorities predict the cleanup operation could take about a month after 70 mph winds uprooted trees and collapsed buildings, for Dallas News.
“Windy looks washed out in the first take now. Are you okay, @WindhorstESPN?” asked a fan on X.
“I like Windy. He also seems to be the only humble, normal person working at ESPN these days,” said another.
Fatigue has been a major factor at First Take this week, with Stephen A. taking Tuesday off.
First look at the numbers
First Take has grown from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim over the past year.
ESPN’s weekday debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 — making it the most-watched year in the show’s history.
Its December average of 611,000 represented a 24% annual increase compared to 2022.
The show has also recorded more than 250 million views on YouTube.
First Take was helped by the addition of Shannon Sharpe alongside Smith and Qerim after he left Fox Sports’ Undisputed.
The 56-year-old revealed he was exhausted after a brutal NBA Playoffs broadcast schedule.
“You’ve been my partner on this network for years,” the 56-year-old said during the NBA countdown last Friday.
“You’ve never heard me say what I’m about to say.
“I’m not rooting for any long series.
“I need some time off. It’s going to be a long series – but I’m not rooting for it.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
