Houston Rockets announcer Ryan Hollins didn’t say anything wrong about Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick, but the phrasing came across as a little awkward.
Hollins issued an apology Monday afternoon after a three-second clip from Sunday’s broadcast of the Rockets-Raptors game went viral. In the clip, Hollins says “somebody got Dick in the face.” The clip is funny, but with full context, it’s clear there was no malicious intent. This was an innocuous comment by Hollins that just had an awkward outcome because Dick’s name is, well…Dick.
Late in the first half of the game, Dick was knocked to the floor after taking a forearm to the face while driving to the basket. Hollins was trying to describe what happened to play-by-play voice Craig Ackerman and out came, “Somebody got Dick in the face, Craig. See if he’s okay. He’s taking his time on the way up. He got hit pretty good.”
If Hollins said the same thing about any other player in the league, it would have gone unnoticed. But no other player in the league has the surname, Dick. Naturally, social media ran with the three-second clip which was comical. But it was also harmless, and most definitely not an intended attempt at going viral. Still, after seeing the three-second clip spread on social media, Hollins felt it was necessary to offer some context.
https://t.co/NUfH4fkCXB pic.twitter.com/sd54kHAU0V
— Ryan Hollins (@TheRyanHollins) February 10, 2025
“When play stopped you will go to a replay upon the replay you could see the hit to the face as we explain why he stayed on the floor. Yes, after saying it you realize what you said and feel the childish embarrassment,” Hollins wrote. We talk for two hours plus and there’s a 5 second clip running [rampant], please gather context next time. For the rest of his career it’s just one of those names. Above all if there’s anyone offended I send my apologizes.”
Yes, it’s just one of those names. It’s one of those names that Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal will undoubtedly continue to have fun with. It’s one of those names that some announcers will attempt to go viral on. And it’s one of those names that others will accidentally go viral on, as Ryan Hollins proved this week.
