
The 50 Most Awkward Moments in Sports History
Dead silence: the result of most extremely awkward situations.
From failed high-five attempts to unintended racism to press conference drama, awkward moments are commonplace in the world of sports.
It's all live—and since it's unscripted, anything can happen. That "anything" often turns into an "I don't know what to do next" situation.
Of all the awkward situations that have occurred, what follows are the 50 worst—in other words, the most awkward moments in sports history...
50. Drew Brees
1 of 50"All right, who just kissed you?"
It won't come off!
49. Sasha Vujacic
2 of 50The fact that Vujacic is the one falling makes it 10 times funnier.
Have any other athletes had this happen before?
48. Phil Jackson
3 of 50My face itches.
Good ol' knuckles.
47. Kobe Bryant
4 of 50Best poker face ever.
Forget coaching, forget television. After Kobe retires, he has a career in Texas hold 'em.
46. Lamar Odom
5 of 50The definition of a "brain fart."
Odom thought he was playing street ball in NY.
45. Avery Johnson
6 of 50Role reversal.
"Don't stutter."
44. Scott Tolzien
7 of 50No love for the quarterback.
It's not even like he was the backup/clipboard holder either.
43. Mark Madsen
8 of 50Who says white men can't dance?
"Get back in your cage."
42. Shawn Marion
9 of 50Marion was just about to go showtime.
Rookies...
41. Mark Mallory
10 of 50Now that's what you call a wicked curveball.
Seriously, though, how do you miss that bad?
40. Bruce Pearl
11 of 50Bruce Pearl has to be one of the funniest head coaches of all-time.
Never mind—he wins hands down.
39. Gus Johnson
12 of 50"He's got getting-away-from-the-cops speed!"
This would be so much worse if Gus Johnson wasn't black.
38. Andrew Bogut
13 of 50Everybody loves Andrew.
And since when are there seven players per team on the court?
37. Albert Haynesworth
14 of 50Fast-forward to 4:45.
Don't hate—he was just protecting against the cutback.
They don't call him "Fat Albert" for nothing.
36. Kevin Love
15 of 50Kevin Love will be on an All-NBA team soon enough, but he's already on the All-Awkward Team.
He walks hunched over for about 10 feet lunging for the high five.
35. Mike Brown
16 of 50The reporter who asked the question is my hero.
Looks like Brown had a nice pre-press conference puff-puff pass.
34. Ron Artest
17 of 50Ron Artest should write a book. Who wouldn't buy it?
Ron Law No. 379: If you can't stop 'em, pull their pants down.
33. Random Commentator
18 of 50Run, Forrest, run!
I counted 10 seconds of silence.
32. LeBron James
19 of 50If you listen really closely, you can hear the gasps in the background.
Shortly after, you can hear the faint sound of the entire city of Cleveland imploding.
31. Steve Stamkos
20 of 50Stupid ice skates.
At least he almost got in the net.
30. Carl Lewis
21 of 50"Uh-oh, I'll make up for it now."
One player has to hide in his warmup jacket so no one sees him laughing.
29. Shaq and Kobe
22 of 50Fast-forward to 1:00.
This could have been so much worse.
On national television, they managed to stay professional despite "Hey, Kobe, tell me how my @#$ tastes," about a year earlier.
28. Dennis Green
23 of 50"The Bears are who we thought they were!"
Thanks, coach...
27. Owen Schmitt
24 of 50My name Owen, I play football.
My name Owen, I no graduate.
26. Brian Kinchen
25 of 50"Your hands are tender; they can move and caress the ball."
The funniest man in America was then fired.
25. John Chaney
26 of 50"That's why I was telling my kid to bust your !@#$%& kid in the mouth!"
John Chaney is one fiery old grandpa.
24. Mike Tyson
27 of 50"I'm killing this mother !@#$%&."
How Tyson made it through first grade I'll never know.
23. Jim Rome
28 of 50"Chris!"
Jim Rome got burned.
22. Derek Anderson
29 of 50"It's not funny, it's not funny—nothing's funny to me."
I bet he thought this was funny.
21. Nicole Richie
30 of 50"You got a favorite Laker?"
Then Vanessa Bryant stopped beating Khloe Kardashian and pulled out a gun.
20. Random Singer
31 of 50Ouch, the double-whammy.
She forgets the lines and she falls on the ice.
19. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
32 of 50Fast-forward to 0:55.
Mayweather was about to put his gloves back on and fight Larry Merchant.
Who else sees "Pretty Boy Floyd" as an auctioneer when he retires?
18. Eli Manning
33 of 50
After telling San Diego and the national media that he would refuse to play for the Chargers, Manning was drafted by them anyway.
As Eli's trying to force a smile, Paul Tagliabue's thinking, "Take that, you stuck-up little brat."
17. Kevin Borseth
34 of 50"That's how I feel!"
I didn't think anyone could get that intense over women's basketball.
16. Terrell Owens
35 of 50"That's my quarterback."
Whenever Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb need a good laugh, they watch this clip.
15. Pete Rose
36 of 50If athletes and coaches voted for their most hated interviewer, Jim Grey might be a unanimous decision.
"This is a prosecutor's brief; it's not an interview."
14. Boomer Esiason
37 of 50TV: $400. Cable: $60 per month.
Seeing Dan Marino's death stare: Priceless.
13. Kellen Winslow
38 of 50"I'm a !@#$%& soldier!"
All football players should think like Kellen Winslow.
12. Jim Marshall
39 of 50I want to know what that 49ers player said to Marshall after he threw the ball out of the end zone.
I bet Marshall had a hard time playing "pin the tail on the donkey" as a kid.
11. Mike Gundy
40 of 50"I'm a man! I'm 40!"
If whoever wrote the article was at that press conference, they were probably ready to crawl in a hole.
10. Bob Huggins
41 of 50
I'm not trying to make fun of the situation at all.
It's still awkward—not funny, but awkward.
9. Joe Namath
42 of 50"I couldn't care less about the team strugg-l-ing."
Joe Namath may be different sober, but when drunk he's just like every other drunk.
8. Gus Frerotte
43 of 50How'd you get hurt, Gus?
Well, see, I scrambled away from the rush, dodged a linebacker or two and as I dove for the pylon their safety hit me head-to-head...But I still got in; check the box score.
7. Bill Gramatica
44 of 50How'd you get hurt, Bill?
Well, see, I was kicking a field goal when the defender dove for the ball trying to block it and he took out my leg, but I still made the kick despite the contact; check the box score.
6. Hal McCrae
45 of 50Nobody ever told Hal that there are no stupid questions.
The guy who appears 56 seconds in asked the stupidest question.
5. Random Boxer
46 of 50Don't touch my baby!
Not because of age, not because of head injuries. This boxer retired because of embarrassment.
4. Ellis Lankster
47 of 50Again, I'm not trying to make fun of the situation, especially if he has a speech impediment.
It's awkward—not funny, but awkward.
3. Kelly Tilghman
48 of 50Are you serious?
I know it was unintentional, but just wow.
2. Mike Sanford
49 of 50He's like a little kid who won't move until he gets his way, except this little kid has a receding hair line.
"I need to speak to the athletic director!"
1. Maurkice Pouncey
50 of 50Brotherly love.
I wonder if this will be their touchdown celebration if the Pittsburgh Steelers draft Mike Pouncey this year.
David Daniels is an NFL Featured Columnist and Writing Intern at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter or at One Yard Short.com.
For more of David's lists, check out the Most Explosive Players in NFL History, the Biggest Showboats in NFL History, and the Top Pregame Pump Up Songs.


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