ESPN's Tim MacMahon apologizes to Mavericks insider whom he called 'wannabe journalist'

Earlier this week, ESPN's Tim MacMahon lashed out at another member of the Dallas Mavericks media while on the Hoop Collective podcast. A few days later, the longtime journalist apologized for losing his cool in the moment.

The situation all arose regarding reporting on the backlash Mavs GM Nico Harrison has faced following the Luka Doncic trade. It was cited that people have gone as far as issuing death threats following the departure of the superstar guard.

Upon this news, fellow NBA insider Grant Afseth looked deeper into the situation. He reached out to Dallas police and later reported that nothing had been brought to their attention regarding the matter. This led to MacMahon sounding off on the podcast, referring to Afseth as a "wannabe journalist."

On Wednesday's episode of The Hoop Collective, Tim MacMahon opened up on his outburst earlier this week. He walked back what he initially said, admitting that he might have taken things a bit too far.

"I will admit I flap my gums in that with a couple words and unnecessary little jab that got me in a little bit of hot water," MacMahon said. "Sometimes I flap my gums and stuff comes out, my bad."

MacMahon is a longtime reporter in the Dallas area and has been with ESPN since 2009.

---

Tim MacMahon trolled by reporter after recent comments

As Tim MacMahon stated on the podcast, he has received a lot of unwanted attention following his comments. While numerous other media members scolded him, Grant Afseth took a different approach.

Instead of getting caught up in emotion, Afseth decided to have some fun with the situation. He posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter), about changing his bio on the platform. In the updated version he put "wannabe journalist" to poke fun at MacMahon's remark.

As the clip of Tim MacMahon's rant continued to circle online, Afseth stated why he did what he did. He wanted to get to the bottom of the story because he didn't want the Dallas Mavericks fanbase to have a negative light shined on them.

Afseth has covered the Mavericks for years now and recently started his own outlet to expand his coverage. While reporting on the Mavs is his primary focus, he also writes about the NBA at large and has even covered international basketball in the past.

While MacMahon's long-winded remark wasn't the sincerest of apologies, it appears that Afseth didn't let the comment impact him in a big way.