Wichita State: Announcers made insensitive comments about player’s Native American name

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Wichita State Shockers fell 67-63 to the San Francisco Dons Tuesday afternoon at T-Mobile Center in the Hall of Fame Classic championship.

But the Shockers first had to take down Grand Canyon University 55-43 the day before to make it to the finals.

During Monday’s broadcast, a Twitter video captured broadcasters Chris Walker and Chick Hernandez making light of the last name of Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler.

Poor Bear-Chandler is half-Native American, according to his bio on the Shockers roster, and the first half of his last name “Poor Bear” reflects that ancestry. He is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe who grew up on a reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

The Shockers forward tweeted the following comment: “So it’s okay to make fun of my last name? Just shows your ability to be serious in a professional setting. Just because my people was almost colonized doesn’t mean I don’t know where I come from!”

Wichita State released the following statement on what occurred, along with the apology that followed.

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