YES Network commentators Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel had a hilarious back-and-forth insult war in the first quarter of in the Brooklyn Nets game against the Atlanta Hawks at the O2 Arena in London. It all began innocently, with Spanarkel using different English terms that they wouldn’t normally use in America to describe the on-court action. When Spanarkel used the term “knackered” to describe Joe Johnson, it set Eagle over the edge, responding: “what if I called you a wanker? How would that translate?”
The comment elicited laughs from Spanarkel, who assuredly knows what a wanker is.
Eagle, who recently won the New York state Sportscaster of the Year Award, is known for throwing friendly barbs at his fellow constituents. It’s in good fun, and clearly no harm was meant on Eagle’s part. He and color commentator Mike Fratello are notorious for it, even when it doesn’t appear friendly (it always is).
Another reminder that Ian Eagle is one of the best in the business.
