Mark down the date history: Mike Francesa admitted he was wrong.
The New York radio legend made a bizarre mistake when discussing St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor’s time with Kansas, claiming he transferred because of Joel Embiid’s presence on the roster.
Embiid, though, last played for the Jayhawks in 2014, and social media users had a field day with Francesa’s error before he copped to confusing the ex-NBA MVP for recent Kansas star Hunter Dickinson.
“Which, remember, (Ejiofor) left Kansas, but that’s a long time ago, and he left Kansas because of Embiid. And Embiid is a different player than Zuby. Embiid, when he’s healthy, a guy who can score 50 points in the NBA,” Francesa said on his eponymous podcast. “He’s a big-time talent. That’s no big deal that Embiid was over him; that happens. He came and found a home and had one of the great careers in the history of St. John’s, which is about him and about [Rick] Pitino developing him.“
As his quotes went viral for all the wrong seasons, Francesa raised his hand and said he would take the criticism.
“Didn’t realize I said Zoobie (sic) left Kansas because of Embiid,” Francesa tweeted. “Would have been difficult since he turned 32 yesterday. Meant Hunter Dickinson. Graciously accept the rip. Deserve it.”
While Francesa admitted making a mistake, the Dickinson timeline doesn’t quite match up either.
Ejiofor transferred from Kansas after the 2022-23 season, as Francesa noted, but Dickinson joined Kansas for the 2024-25 program.
That leaves a gap between the two, since Dickinson previously starred for Michigan.
Even if the timelines don’t add up, the humility shown by Francesa is notable.
Francesa, who was on WFAN as one of the country’s most popular radio hosts alongside Chris “Mad Dog” Russo from 1989-2008, and then by himself from 2008-20, was often not too kind to callers.
He was not without his own mistakes during that time, including infamously falling asleep while speaking with then-Yankees WFAN reporter Sweeney Murti, but he never really apologized for the incident, instead making excuses or sending jabs back at callers who poked fun at the situation.
Francesa has since launched his own podcast, which has a strong following with 54,400 YouTube subscribers.
