Chicago Bulls announcer's wild call of game-winner goes viral... but some fans accuse him of going too far with 'horny' comment

Chicago Bulls announcer Stacey King celebrated a clutch shot by citing a reference that flew over the heads of many younger fans and left them scratching their heads.

The Bulls are off to an improbable start. A team thought by many to be in the midst of a rebuild has begun the season 6-1 thanks to a big shot by Nikola Vucevic late in last night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Chicago came back from 24 points down to take a 113-111 lead after Vucevic hit a corner 3-point shot off a smooth assist from Josh Giddey.

Giddey - who finished with a 29 point, 15 rebound, 12 assist triple-double - and the rest of his teammates celebrated with Vucevic as King started shouting into the mic.

'Vucci Mane for 3! Vucci Mane steps up again, the grizzled veteran steps up and hits the biggest shot of the season,' King said - using a nickname that's a play on the stage name for rapper Gucci Mane.

But fans were stunned to hear King, the three-time NBA champion, start yelling, 'Oh my goodness. Elizabeth! I'm comin' again, Elizabeth! It's the big one Elizabeth! The cardiac Bulls! Again!'

Fans raced to social media, collectively aghast at what they believed was a lewd expression.

'Lmao nah I usually like a lil excitement from my announcers but buddy was a little too in character [crying emoji] he needs to relax,' one user on X commented.

Another simply wrote, 'announcer horny?' while a different post read, '@Stacey21King wild for this'. 

'excuse me? ain't no way this real boy,' a third user posted.

'what could POSSIBLY be the context behind this,' one post asked. Another wondered, 'WHO TF IS ELIZABETH'.

Well, the context is much less profane than the internet may have assumed.

While some heard that comment as an obscene remark, many older viewers recognized it as a reference to the classic American 70s sitcom 'Sanford and Son'.

In the show, comedian Redd Foxx plays widower Fred Sanford - who runs a junk yard in Los Angeles with his son Lamont. The reference is to a running gag on the show when Fred would fake a heart attack whenever things didn't go his way - shouting out to his dead wife, Elizabeth.

Fred would clutch at his chest and yell some variation of 'I'm coming to join you, Elizabeth!'

Pair that reference to a heart attack with the common basketball parlance of a 'cardiac' team - one that wins multiple games with late shots - and you get the reference that King was aiming for.

Fans that got the reference began commenting about the 'kids these days'. 'No one has watched Sanford and Son?', wondered one.

'80% these kids have no idea...,' read one comment. Another said, 'You kids gotta start hanging with some elders.'

Just to be sure, King posted a clip from the show of that gag and captioned it, 'I had another one tonight Elizabeth!! What a freaking game!'