The BBC has formally apologized after fans went after the channel for telecasting wrong footage which showed LeBron James instead of Kobe Bryant in a remembrance video.
The 41-year-old NBA MVP died after his helicopter crashed in Calabasas, LA. He was accompanied by eight others, including his daughter, who all died in the crash. Several fans gathered in front of the Staples stadium to pay tribute to the legendary basketball player.
During BBC's News at Ten program, the channel accidentally showed James instead of Bryant. James also plays for the Lakers and has also been a star player of the team.
The BBC editor for News at Six and Ten Paul Royall apologized for the mistake and attributed it to a human error.
Twitter reacted to it immediately
The twitter space took up the issue immediately and spoke out at BBC for making the error. Several social media users took the issue to the heart and were criticizing the news channel for the error. It was not just BBC but several other agencies ended up messing up following his death. One news anchor used derogatory terms to address the dead player while another condemned his action as a rapist.
The severe criticism prompted Royall to tweet an apology. The footage showed James who also played for the Lakers and surpassed Bryant to become the third-highest scorer of all time.
The voiceover for the video did not explain why James was shown in the video. Soon after the error was pointed out, Reeta Chakrabarti, a newsreader, apologized which was soon followed by Royall's tweet.
The five-time NBA champion retired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016 after playing 20 years with the team.
