ESPN's Maria Taylor says she forgot to vote for Los Angeles Lakers superstar big man Anthony Davis for the three All-NBA teams, and NBA Twitter went ballistic.
Why does Maria Taylor have a vote? Real question. She is a studio host/sideline reporter in her first year covering the NBA. She works a ton, not just on the league. No reason for her to have a vote https://t.co/Sy2M2jW9Pb
â Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) September 19, 2020
Maria Taylor said she left Anthony Davis off of all three All-NBA teams because she forgot about him.
She got the esteemed privilege of receiving an award ballot and spent a whole 2 minutes on it đ
â Guru (@DrGuru_) September 19, 2020
I honestly believe Maria Taylor vote gotta be revoked after that bra.
Leaving AD off of All NBA is the literal worst snub of the year. No way that was a basketball decision.
â OG Slim ïŁż (@Jody_McFly) September 19, 2020
I need Maria Taylor banned from NBA voting immediately
â Yunel Dudley-Betts #PerSourcesENT MEDIA (@YunelDudley) September 19, 2020
Upon seeing the trolls on NBA Twitter, Maria Taylor spoke out about her mistake.
Being a woman in sports can be very ruthless sometimes. Unfortunately, Taylor is dealing with some unnecessary criticism at the moment after making an honest mistake.
Wow itâs been a long week. But if everyone would now like to take away my voter privileges because of a CLEAR mistake. Please feel free.
â Maria Taylor (@MariaTaylor) September 19, 2020
Because I PLAYED basketballâŠI COVER the league. And I DESERVE everything Iâve worked hard for. https://t.co/JwLjk6dsb9
â Maria Taylor (@MariaTaylor) September 19, 2020
Anthony Davis wound up making the first-team All-NBA squad, so Taylor's mistake didn't cost the Chicago native turned Lakers star.
This isn't the first or last time an NBA reporter is going to make a mistake in the voting process. It seems a little unfair that Taylor is getting killed when men in her positions have done the same thing as well.
It's been a tough week for Taylor, who made her âMonday Night Footballâ debut during the Pittsburgh SteelersâNew York Giants game on Sept. 14. During the broadcast, Dan McNeilâa Chicago-area sports radio host for 670 The Scoreâsent a tweet in which he posted a photo of Taylor with the caption: âNFL sideline reporter or a host for the AVN annual awards presentation?â
McNeil was quickly fired from his job and Taylor received support from just about everyone in the sports world, including Memphis Grizzlies point guard and 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant.