NEED TO KNOW
\nMatt Barnes denies being swindled out of thousands by an AI model on a dating site
The former NBA player called out fans, friends and blogs who spread the rumor
\u201cWhen the hate don\u2019t work, they gotta start lying. But y\u2019all motherf—— don\u2019t have to believe \u2018em,\u201d he said<\/p>\n
Matt Barnes<\/a> has had enough with unfounded rumors.\n<\/p>\n In a video posted to his Instagram<\/a> account on Monday, Dec. 8, the former NBA player, 45, denied that he was scammed out of thousands of dollars by an AI (artificial intelligence) model on a dating app.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n He prefaced the clip by saying he recently \u201chit rock bottom\u201d and had both \u201ca lot of negatives, [and] a lot of positives from 2025,\u201d but apparently, paying a woman who never existed $61,000 was not one of his low points.\n<\/p>\n Matt Barnes.<\/p>\n Matt Barnes\/Instagram<\/p>\n For Barnes, the rumors ranged from \u201cme being gay\u201d to returning from a trip to Dubai and seeing \u201cI\u2019m suing [an] AI model, or I got played by [an] AI model.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cAnd all these little bottom of the barrel-a– blogs pick it up. Shout out to the ones that are real and know the bulls— or at least check,\u201d he continued, adding, \u201cSome of you bottom of the barrel a– motherf—— keep running the same garbage, but you guys believe that I got played by [an] AI model and I\u2019m suing \u2018em?\u201d\n<\/p>\n He asked, \u201cWhere the f— did you guys get this from? For real. Seriously.\u201d\n<\/p>\n As the video went on, Barnes paused talking to begin smoking.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cBut then I guess you see, you see someone like Gilbert [Arenas]<\/a>,\u201d he said of his fellow athlete, who mentioned the rumor on his podcast.\n<\/p>\n Barnes and Arenas both played for the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies, and have also appeared on podcasts together<\/a>. Additionally, Barnes\u2019 ex-wife Gloria Govan<\/a>, is a sister of Arenas\u2019 former partner, Laura Govan<\/a>, making their children first cousins.\n<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I had a conversation with Gilbert,\u201d Barnes said. \u201cHe addressed the bulls— and from there it caught fire.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cI told him, \u2018Bro, after all we been through, bro, like, tap in with me and see if it\u2019s real,\u2019\u201d the former basketball player continued. \u201cHe said he apologized, he didn\u2019t know it was that deep, but someone I\u2019m close with addresses the lie and it catches fire.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Matt Barnes attends a basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Atlanta Hawks.<\/p>\n Allen Berezovsky\/Getty<\/p>\n The former pro baller, who played 14 seasons in the league, told his supporters, \u201cY\u2019all can\u2019t believe everything you motherf—— hear.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cLike I said, I been dealing with some real s— while y\u2019all been lying, but anyway, you know what they say. When the hate don\u2019t work, they gotta start lying. But y\u2019all motherf—— don\u2019t have to believe \u2018em. Trust me, you don\u2019t,\u201d Barnes said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n