Cameraman Shooed Away As T.J. McConnell Is Consoled After Pacers' Game 7 Loss

Blake Silverman | Jun 23, 2025

Pacers guard McConnell is comforted after the Game 7 lost / Screengrab via ESPN/ABC

The fresh heartbreak of coming within one win of an NBA title and falling just short is a lot for any one person to handle. As the Indiana Pacers fell in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday, the ESPN on ABC broadcast tried to capture that emotion, but may have went a bit too far.

Following the final buzzer, a camera followed Pacers guard T.J. McConnell into the locker room as he was met with a big hug and a moment of comfort in the tunnel. The cameraman was quickly shooed away by the woman who was consoling McConnell.

The clip quickly went viral as many assumed it was McConnell's mother, which turned out to be incorrect. The woman who appeared have the wherewithal to cut the cameraman off was Karen Atkeson, Pacers vice president of player relations.

You can watch the uncomfortable and downright sad scene below:

An ESPN camera got a little too close to T.J. McConnell after the Pacers fell in Game 7 to the Thunder and is told to stop filming. pic.twitter.com/a8s9IhHq5G

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 23, 2025

McConnell provided 16 points off the bench in Game 7 as the Pacers dealt with the devastating injury to star guard Tyrese Haliburton. McConnell had a great series in the Finals, averaging 12 points per game.

The broadcast received some flak for how often they showed the replay of Haliburton's injury and the grim aftermath. And capturing the sorrow of defeat may have encroached a bit too much here as well.

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