NBA star slammed for kissing female reporter

Cleveland Cavaliers player Tristan Thompson has been slammed by sections of the US media after kissing a female TV reporter during a pre-match interview.

Thompson was being interviewed by Allie Clifton prior to Cleveland’s 108-102 loss to the Mavericks on Saturday (AEST) when he called the Fox Sports courtside commentator by the wrong name.

“You know how I do it, Tina,” he concluded before winking and grinning down the camera.

“Alright,” he says as he leans in to kiss Clifton on the cheek before rushing off camera.

“Oh, hey,” Clifton says awkwardly immediately after the peck.

“He just goes off the feel of the game, just like he does with interviews I guess,” she continued.

While most appear to have laughed off the "awkward" encounter between the two, some have criticised Thompson's actions as sexist.

Yahoo Sports writer Kelly Dwyer said the Cavs big man had sexually harassed Clifton.

“That could be a mortifying thing for this reporter, and Thompson couldn’t be more in the wrong,” he wrote.

“Just because you’re working with someone of the opposite sex, it doesn’t mean a sly innuendo, pat on the rear, or kiss on national television is in any way appropriate.”

Dwyer also called for the Cavaliers and NBA to act over the incident, writing that the league “shouldn’t slough this off as a preseason giggle-fest”.

Washington Post’s Cindy Boren wrote that Thompson’s kiss made for an incredibly awkward moment.

“Sometimes, not everyone remembers that it’s 2014 and that women frequently are assigned to cover and report on men’s sports events,” she wrote.

NBC Sports commentator Brett Pollakoff said the kiss may have been an extension of the player’s friendly relationship with the reporter.

“Players often have friendly relationships with media members who are around the team on a regular basis, and this may have simply been an extension of that,” he wrote.

“It didn’t seem to be planned, though it didn’t seem to offend, either,” Polakoff concluded.