The NBA Draft is supposed to be serious business. It’s a night of tense silences, war-room strategies, and dreams realized or crushed in an instant. But every now and then, live television delivers a moment of pure, unintentional comedy that’s so perfect, it completely hijacks the entire event. And on Wednesday night, ESPN’s Malika Andrews gave us an all-timer. The moment came with the 11th pick in the draft. As the Portland Trail Blazers’ selection of Washington State forward Cedric Coward was about to be announced, Malika, ready to toss to a commercial break, had a legendary slip of the tongue.
Instead of Cedric Coward, she confidently declared, “Colin Cowherd is on his way to Portland.” The broadcast booth erupted in laughter. The internet exploded. And just like that, a 61-year-old sports talk radio host was the newest lottery pick in the NBA. Awful Announcing’s X handle swiftly reported the gaffe, saying, “Colin Cowherd was just drafted, according to Malika Andrews. #NBADraft “.
The real Colin Cowherd, of course, was quick to lean into the joke. He immediately took to X with a photoshopped image of his face on a Blazers player, hilariously embracing his new career. When the pick was later officially traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, he followed up, tweeting, “Apparently, I made a hell of an impact in Portland.”
Apparently, I made a hell of an impact in Portland.
— Colin Cowherd (@colincowherd) June 26, 2025
And in a perfect, full-circle moment of social media gold, the actual player at the center of the slip-up, Cedric Coward, got in on the fun himself. According to a report from Shams Charania, the Grizzlies traded up to acquire the No. 11 pick specifically to select Coward, sending a clear message that they see him as a key piece of their future alongside Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. But continuing the lighter tone, Coward posted an AI-generated image of himself in a Trail Blazers jersey with the caption, “Nothing against Memphis but this would have been epic.”
Nothing against Memphis but this would have been epic. pic.twitter.com/Eq3ggkNwfC
— Colin Cowherd (@colincowherd) June 26, 2025
It was a hilarious end to a bizarre draft-night moment, and while the gaffe overshadowed the pick itself, Coward’s journey to the league is anything but a joke. He’s a player who has fought his way from obscurity to the NBA lottery.
Coward began his college career at Willamette University, a Division III program, before transferring to Eastern Washington, where he was named a unanimous All-Big Sky First-Team selection. He then transferred to Washington State, where he averaged an impressive 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. His journey is a testament to his relentless work ethic, a quality that clearly impressed the Memphis Grizzlies.
This is a developing story…
The post Colin Cowherd Acknowledges Malika Andrews’ Live Blooper During Cedric Coward’s NBA Draft appeared first on EssentiallySports.