Was This Basketball Player 'Straight Up Sexually Harassing' the Reporter He Smooched?

Whatever it was, it was definitely weird.

Tristan Thompson. (Image via YouTube)

Cleveland Cavaliers' power forward Tristan Thompson spoke with reporter Allie Clifton ahead of his team's loss to the Dallas Mavericks Friday night.

"See ball, get ball, same approach, it's pretty simple," Thompson said when Clifton asked how he'd approach the game. "You know how I do it."

Then he smiled awkwardly and smooched her.

Was it an innocent peck — or sexual harassment?

Yahoo Sports reporter Kelly Dwyer (who is a man) expressed a great deal of outrage as he covered the story, writing:

Just because Allie Clifton remained calm and professional and kept a smile following the buss, it doesn’t mean Tristan Thompson wasn’t straight up sexually harassing her. She remained calm and professional because she is a professional – that is to say, she’s doing her [EXPLETIVE DELETED] job. Don’t kiss someone without their consent, ever, and don’t kiss someone without their consent while they’re doing their job.

This isn’t cute or funny or meme-worthy. There should be no marginalizing or rationalizing of this. That could be a mortifying thing for this reporter, and Thompson couldn’t be more in the wrong. Just because you’re working with someone of the opposite sex, it doesn’t mean a sly innuendo, pat on the rear, or kiss on national television is in any way appropriate. You want to lay your uneasy flirt game on someone? Wait two hours and take it to a bar. Grow up.

On Twitter, opinions were mixed, with some people labeling Thompson's kiss "harassment"...

So true. Kissing sideline reporters isn't "cute," it's harassment https://t.co/PxeHOT3G85 #NBA #cavaliers #harassment

— Chris Pugh (@viewfromthepugh) October 19, 2014

...while others labeled Dwyer's article a hit piece.

.@KDonhoops wrote one of the worst article I’ve ever seen. Trying to give @RealTristan13 a bad name for no reason https://t.co/rrIfgEpDg9

— Joe L. Kinsley (@FlopCitySports) October 19, 2014

For her part, Clifton did not appear to have made a public statement on the matter as of Sunday morning.

What do you think? Take the poll below and discuss.

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Follow Zach Noble (@thezachnoble) on Twitter