TV reporter who uttered racial slur on air says she "combined the names of the Knicks and the Lakers"

An MSNBC correspondent hurriedly relating some historical context from basketball legend Kobe Bryant's career stumbled over the name of his team, the LA Lakers.

Earlier today, while reporting on the tragic news of Kobe Bryant's passing, I unfortunately stuttered on air, combining the names of the Knicks and the Lakers to say "Nakers." Please know I did not & would NEVER use a racist term. I apologize for the confusion this caused.

- Alison Morris (@AlisonMorrisNOW) January 26, 2020

"Earlier today, while reporting on the tragic news of Kobe Bryant's passing, I unfortunately stuttered on air, combining the names of the Knicks and the Lakers to say "Nakers."", wrote Alison Morris. "Please know I did not & would NEVER use a racist term. I apologize for the confusion this caused."

That explains the hard R, but not the G. Given that Morris obviously didn't intend to say a racist slur, the usual (and I think more plausible) explanation when this sort of thing happens is that it was a brainfart, admitting the utterance while disclaiming intent and highlighting the weird, mangled manouvers our brains sometimes take under pressure. However, that explanation cops to the bad word lurking in one's neurons, and a Rochester, N.Y., weatherman lost his job recently after such an explanation was offered in his case.

So "Nakers" it is.