ESPN's Pat McAfee mocks Pacers fan John Mellencamp after rockstar calls him out

Pat McAfee has somehow united Knicks fans around Timothée Chalamet, the Kardashian jinxer, and Ben Stiller.

The bombastic ESPN personality is a known diehard local Indianapolis fan, proudly rooting for the Indiana Pacers against the New York Knicks in Game 4, where the Tyrese Haliburton-led squad took a commanding 3-1 lead to be on the brink of the NBA Finals to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

When McAfee was handed the microphone to hype up the crowd in Game 4, the form Indianapolis Colts punter turned media empire builder did what he does best - talked smack like a WWE superstar. And that would make sense given that he's the main on-air personality for WWE too. Not surprisingly, his buddy Triple H, was there to support him.

"Let's send these son of a b***hes back to New York with their ears burning," McAfee said after calling out Spike Lee, Stiller, and Chalamet.

Pat McAfee after announcing all the celebrity Knicks fans in Indiana for the Pacers game 😂😂

“Let’s send these son of a bitches back to New York.”

pic.twitter.com/Ayyofocw4p
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 28, 2025

Stiller wasn't happy about the smack talking, but who cares. The famous comedic actor is a Knicks fan.

But McAfee took some heat from an unlikely Pacers fan - legendary rockstar John Mellencamp, who said "The Pat McAfee Show" star betrayed "Hoosiers Hospitality."

Worse, the "Jack & Diane" 1980s hitmaker only referred to McAfee has "somebody" in his X post, writing, "I was embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don't know, called out some of the people who had made the trip from New York to support their team... I'd say that was not Hoosier Hospitality. I was not proud to be a Hoosier, and I've lived here my entire life."

I am “somebody” https://t.co/F8jTbkGSu0
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 29, 2025

McAfee mocked Mellencamp's statement, clapping back, "I am 'somebody.'"

That somebody has become a very rich dude by talking smack and not backing down. It probably still stings though to get called out by an Indiana legend.

"Oh, but ain't that America"?

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