Ahead of the Christmas Day game between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets, Suns beat reporters have been covering the status of star guard Devin Booker as he deals with a groin injury.
The jockeying to report information has led to an awkward social media interaction between Suns reporter Gerald Bourguet and Forbes national NBA reporter Evan Sidery.
Bourguet, who covers the team for the PHNX Sports network, on top of working as an analyst on the network’s pre and post-game shows, reported an update on Booker’s health from Suns practice on Tuesday. He reported that Booker did not participate in practice outside of getting some shots on his own after practice.
“Devin Booker and Grayson Allen did not participate in Suns practice today,” wrote Bourguet in a post on X. “Still awaiting on his status but that’s never a good sign.”
Devin Booker and Grayson Allen did not participate in Suns practice today. Still awaiting on his status but that’s never a good sign
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) December 24, 2024
Similarly, Duane Rankin, who covers the Suns for The Arizona Republic, reported on Booker’s status from the Suns practice.
Suns players Devin Booker (groin) and Grayson Allen (concussion protocol) didn’t participate in today’s practice/shootaround. #Suns
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) December 24, 2024
Mere minutes after these reports, Evan Sidery followed suit by reporting that Booker had missed practice and that he was unlikely to play against the Nuggets.
Devin Booker did not practice today ahead of the Suns’ Christmas Day matchup against the Nuggets.
Booker is unlikely to play due to a groin strain suffered last week. pic.twitter.com/n9ViH0eReC
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) December 24, 2024
Sidery did not cite Rankin or Bourguet, or any initial reporting for that matter. As a result, Bourguet took to social media to call out Sidery for failing to credit the original sources for his information.
“Brother, you need to stop doing this,” wrote Bourguet. “I didn’t see you at Suns practice today. You saw Duane and I tweet about it and presented it as your own report without credit, which is all you do now. If it ain’t your report, stop pretending like it is for engagement. Merry Christmas.”
Brother, you need to stop doing this. I didn’t see you at Suns practice today. You saw Duane and I tweet about it and presented it as your own report without credit, which is all you do now. If it ain’t your report, stop pretending like it is for engagement.
Merry Christmas https://t.co/E4D005TLkF
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) December 24, 2024
It’s common for national reporters to rely on on-site beat reporters to be first to a story. But even those who largely aggregate reports (the Dov Kleiman’s of the world) frequently give credit to the original report. It’s standard operating procedure.
On top of that, neither Bourguet nor Rankin claimed that Booker was “unlikely to play” in the Christmas Day game. So unless Sidery is getting that information elsewhere, it might be more of an assumption than a credible report.
From the sound of things, this is far from the first time Sidery has been accused of stealing stories or reporting without credit, which would justify this kind of public callout.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.