Klay Thompson once found himself standing on a New York street talking to a local news crew about something that had nothing to do with basketball. The FOX 5 NY crew was asking people about the city’s scaffolding safety, apparently unaware they had just stopped an NBA star. Thompson, instead of walking away or pointing out the mix-up, seriously answered the question and even explained how he dealt with construction around the city.

That kind of random encounter has always been part of the NBA’s strange relationship with the media. Players can spend an entire season answering questions about switches, shots, injuries and playoff pressure, only to suddenly find themselves dealing with something completely outside basketball. Sometimes the answers become the story.

Tyler Herro found himself in that spot at Milwaukee Bucks Media Day. An uncredited reporter brought up Marvel Studios and Avengers: Doomsday, asking Herro whether the Avengers would win or be “cooked.” Herro’s first response was simple: “What movie?” After the reporter clarified that he meant Avengers: Doomsday, Herro followed with, “Okay. Um, what’s the, what’s the two options?” The reporter repeated the choices, and Herro finally gave his prediction: “They’re gonna win.” The reporter’s response was just as short: “Good answer.”

The exchange was over in seconds, but the comedy came from how little Herro seemed prepared for it. He had not just been asked an unusual question. He had to find out what movie the reporter was talking about before he could even answer it.

And that might have been the end of the story if there were no history between Herro and Marvel.

There was.

The Marvel connection makes the question less random

Four years before Herro was asked about Avengers: Doomsday, his name had already been pulled into the Marvel universe.

On May 17, 2022, ESPN and Marvel Studios premiered a co-branded promotional spot for Thor: Love and Thunder. Herro appeared alongside Chris Hemsworth, with Tessa Thompson and director Taika Waititi also involved in the campaign. The entire idea played on the obvious connection between Herro’s last name and the word “hero.”

That gives the strange Media Day question a little more context.

Herro was not just some NBA player randomly picked out of a crowd and asked to predict the next Marvel movie. His name had already been used in a Marvel promotion, and he had previously shared a campaign with the actor playing Thor.

The difference was that the 2022 campaign was planned around Herro’s connection to the word “hero.” In 2026, the reporter seemed to be trying to bring that connection back ahead of Marvel’s next major Avengers release.

There was just one problem.

Herro did not appear to know what movie he was being asked about.

That contrast is what made the clip work. A player whose name had already been turned into a Marvel marketing joke was suddenly standing at an NBA Media Day trying to figure out what Avengers: Doomsday even was.

And the movie itself was hardly some obscure release.

Herro was asked about one of Marvel’s biggest upcoming movies

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on December 18, 2026, with Anthony and Joe Russo directing. Robert Downey Jr. is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this time as Victor von Doom, while Chris Hemsworth is confirmed to return as Thor. Avengers: Secret Wars is scheduled to follow in December 2027.

So when the reporter asked Herro whether the Avengers would win or get cooked, there was plenty of context behind the question.

Herro just did not seem to have any of it.

The reporter’s identity has not been publicly verified, either. The research into the clip and available coverage did not establish the interviewer’s name, outlet or a reason for asking the question. No verified statement from the reporter explaining the moment has been found.

That left the clip to speak for itself.

And once it reached social media, fans had plenty to say.

NBA fans had questions of their own

The video was uploaded by PlayMaker Hoops and spread across social media, with fans focusing less on Herro’s final prediction and more on the decision to ask a Marvel question during an NBA Media Day.

One fan immediately questioned the choice of topic:

“How is this a Media Day question?”

Another viewer was still trying to make sense of the entire interaction:

“I’m still trying to understand.”

The longer the exchange was watched, the more attention shifted toward Herro’s confusion. One fan broke down the moment and could not believe how quickly the two choices disappeared from the conversation:

“First of all, wtf kinda question was that? Second, bro gave you 2 options, and you forgot the only 2 options he gave you within 5 seconds of asking the question? Lock tf in, bro”

Another fan took aim at the reporter’s presence at Media Day altogether:

“Who gave that reporter media credentials?”

And one reaction needed only four words:

“Get em outta here.”

The reactions made one thing clear: Herro’s answer was not really the part people were debating.

The question itself had become the story.

That is not completely new territory for NBA media, either.

Shaquille O’Neal once turned an absurd hypothetical about sucking venom out of his mother’s chest to win an NBA title into a quick joke, answering, “No, but I would with your wife.” Kyrie Irving also found himself dealing with a strange question in 2015 when a reporter asked whether LeBron James served as a “father figure” to him. Irving pushed back, saying, “Father figure? No. He’s been a great leader… I have one father, that’s my dad, Drederick Irving.”

Then there was Thompson, who somehow ended up giving a serious answer about New York scaffolding to a local news crew.

NBA players have seen stranger questions.

Herro’s may simply have arrived at the funniest possible time.

Because while everyone was laughing about Marvel, he was actually entering one of the biggest changes of his NBA career.

Behind the joke, Herro has a much bigger job in Milwaukee

The timing of the question is what makes the moment even more unusual.

Herro was not walking into an ordinary Media Day.

He was walking into his first season with the Bucks after Milwaukee traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami in a franchise-changing deal. The trade officially closed on July 6, 2026, with Milwaukee receiving Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, the No. 13 pick in the 2026 draft, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and a second-round pick.

For Milwaukee, Herro is not simply another piece of the roster.

He is one of the players the franchise believes can help shape what comes next.

Bucks general manager Jon Horst explained the thinking behind acquiring players such as Herro at Media Day.

“We wouldn’t have done the trade without one of those players… They’re age-appropriate, either entering their prime or the early end of their prime, and fit a culture and a style of play that we want to embody. They’re the workers. They’re the learners.”

That puts the Marvel moment in a very different light.

For a few seconds, Herro was just the NBA player who had no idea what Avengers: Doomsday was.

For Milwaukee, he is one of the central pieces of the post-Giannis era.

And the Bucks will need much more from him than a movie prediction.

Milwaukee needs the version of Herro it saw before the injury

Herro’s 2025-26 season was cut down to just 33 regular-season games and 28 starts because of an ankle injury that required surgery. Even with the limited sample, he averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 48.0% from the field, 37.8% from three-point range and a career-high 91.7% from the free-throw line.

A season earlier, Herro had played all 77 games and averaged a career-best 23.9 points per game. He also earned his first All-Star selection and won the 2025 Three-Point Contest.

That is the version Milwaukee hopes it is getting.

The Bucks need Herro to become a major perimeter scorer and late-clock creator under new head coach Taylor Jenkins. His role is expected to grow as Milwaukee builds around a much younger group of players following the Giannis trade.

So there was plenty for Herro to talk about at Media Day.

His new team.

His new role.

Life after Giannis.

His recovery.

The next stage of his career.

Instead, one reporter wanted to know whether the Avengers were cooked.

And somehow, that became one of the most memorable answers of the day.