Pacers Exec Waves Camera Away From Distraught T.J. McConnell After NBA Final

Losing game seven in the NBA Finals isn't an easy thing.

And the Indiana Pacers' loss on Sunday, June 22, clearly got to T.J. McConnell.

The player was enveloped in a tight embrace by a woman who turned out to be a team executive and who didn't appreciate the camera following him in the emotional moment.

It was a rough game. McConnell scored 16 points, but the Pacers still lost, and they also lost Tyrese Haliburton to an injury.

The McConnell video went viral, with many falsely assuming on social media that the team executive was his mom.

In fact, the woman in the viral video was Karen Atkeson, the Pacers' vice president of player relations, Sports Illustrated explained.

The video shows McConnell, with a towel on his head, walking through the tunnel after the game's end. "An ESPN camera got a little too close to T.J. McConnell after the Pacers fell in Game 7 to the Thunder and is told to stop filming," wrote Awful Announcing on X, sharing the video, which quickly went viral.

"Stop! Stop," Atkeson said in the video.

The Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA title.

Another person consoling McConnell after the tough loss was Pacers great Reggie Miller. That video shows them hugging after the game.

"Reggie supports an emotional T.J. McConnell. Pacers fam through the ups and downs," the NBA wrote, sharing that video, in which McConnell looks like he is on the verge of tears.

"TJ gave it everything he had for the entire series. Major props," a fan wrote on the NBA's X thread.

"From a Thunder fan, respect to the Indiana Pacers and their entire organization, and wishing a speedy and full recovery to Haliburton. Worthy opponent and one of the best NBA Finals matchups ever!" wrote another fan.