On the debut episode of Maria Taylor’s Mercedes-Benz A-Class Bucket List, Maria Taylor heads to Tuscaloosa to play G.O.A.T. with Alabama Crimson Tide football head coach Nick Saban, who is also a basketball lover.  

The pair, both former college athletes, joined each other for an ultra-competitive game of GOAT and ESPN’s cameras were there to catch it all. 

If you recall, Saban scolded Taylor live on TV during a post-game interview following the Crimson Tide’s season-opening win over Louisville in Orlando.  

“Everyone had questions about who was going to start at quarterback when this game started,” Taylor asked Saban on camera. “What answers did you have about your quarterbacks after watching both of them play tonight?”

Flustered, Saban used Taylor’s question as a teachable moment for all media members.

“Well I still like both guys,” Saban said. “Both guys are good players. Both guys can help our team alright. So why do you continually try to get me to say something that doesn’t respect one of them? I’m not going to, so quit asking.”

He later apologized. 

Nothing like a little hoops to help bury the hatchet.