NBA All-Star weekend is all fun and games, until someone decides to talk politics.
Win Butler was ready to speak his mind when the mic turned to him to accept his award for most valuable player, but it seems the network wasn't expecting him to go zero to hundred that quick.
The Arcade Fire front man made a slight jab at Canada's sometimes arduous citizenship process, saying hopefully this award would fast-track his citizenship. Butler's California-born but has been living in Montreal for 15 years.
U.S. politics, however, were off-limits.
Butler starts off saying, "I just want to say, as an election year in the U.S.," and as he takes a pause, ESPN seized the moment and cued up commercial break music.
The Montreal indie-rock star tried to continue, "The US has a lot they can learn from Canada: healthcare, taking care of people, and I think — "
But host Sage Steele jokingly cut him off mid-sentence. "We're talking about celebrity stuff, not politics. Congratulations on your MVP!"
We can only imagine what her producers were yelling through Steele's earpiece. But still, fans were less than impressed with the not-so-subtle commercial throw.
Team Canada won the celebrity match with a 74-64 home-turf victory over the U.S. Butler's 15 points and 14 rebounds secured him the MVP awards. But his resigned expression at being cut off earned our sympathy for what he said will be his last celebrity game.
“I’m retiring as a celebrity. We brought this home for Canada. Respect to Drake. Respect to Team Canada.”
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