When Kevin McHale insulted someone during NBA broadcast in 2019: 'He's a d***head...Hair just got grayer'

Trash talking legend

The "Black Hole" had a remarkable 13-year NBA career, winning three championship rings and earning seven All-Star selections, three All-NBA First Team Defensive honors, and two Sixth Man of The Year awards. This list of achievements established McHale as a basketball icon and a Celtics legend, ultimately resulting in his No.32 being retired.

Beyond his on-court achievements, the Minnesota native was known for his impressive trash-talking skills, akin to Celtics teammates like Larry Bird and Cedric Maxwell. When doing so, Kevin certainly didn't hold back, once claiming he doesn't know "what too far is" in trash talk.

Even after retiring from playing in 1993, McHale's trash talk remained strong, as seen in the highlighted incident. Some speculated he was referring to then-Sixers forward Jimmy Butler, especially since the camera focused on the NBA star at the same moment. This theory seemed plausible given their history with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but in reality, Jimmy and Kevin never shared time with that franchise.

Who did McHale really have in mind?

The then 61-year-old likely referred to an older individual, probably someone closer to his age. This rings true as the person, according to McHale's statements, already had gray hair and had spent time with him in the past.

In any case, it definitely wasn't "Jimmy G. Buckets," something the Celtics legend later emphasized by stating, "No, no, no. I promise you it wasn't him. It was somebody else."

At the same time, the "Black Hole" apologized for his comment, which was certainly inappropriate for a live broadcast.

"[Jackson] and I were talking about a guy we knew, and I used a very unflattering, not nice term, and it caught the air," he said with regret.

Interestingly, Kevin wasn't the only one caught using strong language in the context of the game. After the home team lost 112-109 to the visiting Celtics, their star center, Joel Embiid, wrapped up his post-game press conference by telling the media that the referees "f***ing suck."

The main difference between these two incidents? Embiid, who was later fined $25,000, knew his words were being recorded, while McHale seemed to have completely forgotten.