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During the WNBA All-Star Game broadcast, ESPN anchor Elle Duncan faced criticism for a somewhat crude remark.
The comment was made by Duncan during halftime when she expressed her opinion on the offensive performance of both teams.
“We hope it gets a little bit more competitive,” Duncan commented after observing Napheesa Collier’s team scoring 82 points against Caitlin Clark’s squad’s 60 in the first half. “Because, like a girls’ trip to Cancun right now, there’s no D.”
Elle Duncan before the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Amelia McAnear/NBAE via Getty Images)
Chiney Ogwumike, an ESPN analyst, quickly responded, “Elle, you’re in timeout. You’re done.” Following that, the broadcast cut to a commercial break.
Despite the backlash on social media, Duncan stands by her comments. In an appearance on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” she defended her statement.
“My thing with the Cancun joke is, I feel like whenever I say something, it’s like sometimes a reintroduction for some people who clearly don’t know me or my work over the last 10 years,” Duncan said, as reported by Awful Announcing.
“I’m like, ‘Bro, I said on-air one time that if you celebrate too early, it’s called premature I’m-Jacked-Elation.’ Like, I can’t actually imagine this is worse than that. Like I feel like I constantly have to remind people I have been saying things like this for the 10 years I have been at ESPN.
Elle Duncan, Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike pose for a photo during the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
“So, I thought it was silly. I thought it was funny. Some people disagree. Some people definitely agree. But it is what it is. Like, yes, girls say crude jokes, too.”
Duncan also addressed a specific portion of comments.
“The funny part to me, y’all, has been the people who are like, ‘What am I supposed to say to my children?'” Duncan added. “I’m like, ‘Well if you have to talk to your children about the fact that ‘D’ is a slang word for a penis, then I hope that I was able to help you have that conversation with your child who’s old enough to watch basketball.’ Because my 4-year-old knows what a penis is.
“It’s so silly to me. The idea that like this is groundbreaking or somehow completely inappropriate in the landscape that we live in right now is just wild to me. I was a little blown, to be real.”
When Duncan’s comment went viral on social media, many were quick to comment with frustration.
“Add this to a long list of why no one takes the WNBA or ESPN seriously,” one user said under a video of Duncan, posted by Awful Announcing.
Host Elle Duncan speaks during the 2024 espnW New York Summit on May 9, 2024, in Brooklyn, N.Y. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
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“If Shane Gillis said that, they’d try to cancel him,” another wrote, referencing a comedian’s ESPYs monologue that turned heads this past week.
When the second half eventually started, there was more offense than defense yet again. Collier led the way with 36 points to help her squad beat Clark’s team 151-131 in the All-Star Game.
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