During a segment on the news channel MSNBC, reporter Alison Morris was heard apparently using a racial slur while referring to the LA Lakers, the basketball team that late NBA legend Kobe Bryant played for. Paying tribute to Bryant, Morris said he was “Perfectly cast on the Los Angeles n*****s, er, Lakers.” Social media users were outraged by the slip, which led to a backlash.

Morris then tweeted an apology, saying that she mistakenly combined the names of basketball teams New York Knicks and LA Lakers, which resulted in her saying “Nakers.” Social media users remain divided about the incident, with some saying she definitely used an offensive term, and others saying it is “ridiculous” to chide her for an innocent slip.

Also watch

Dear Basketball, the poem and film that won NBA legend Kobe Bryant an Oscar

Also read

President Obama, the N-word and how Mumbai plays a part in its complex social history

Mamba Forever: The world pays tribute to Kobe Bryant... the player, the person, the legend