--- title: "Basketball Fans Disgusted as ESPN Airs AI Slop Version of NBA Champion Tony Parker During the Finals" description: "Wednesday's game one broadcast of the NBA finals featured a three-second AI clip depicting four-time champion Tony Parker." date: "2026-06-04" modified: "2026-06-04" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/basketball-fans-espn-nba-tony-parker-ai-slop" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" --- # Basketball Fans Disgusted as ESPN Airs AI Slop Version of NBA Champion Tony Parker During the Finals ![A man wearing a colorful jacket with various patches, including one that says "NBA CHAMPIONS," and a two-tone cap worn backward is smiling and holding up one finger. Confetti is falling around him, suggesting a celebratory moment.]() *ESPN* The first game of the 2026 NBA finals was everything fans could want out of playoff basketball. The New York Knicks overcame an early 14-point deficit to bring themselves within spitting distance of the San Antonio Spurs by the third period, the orange and blue squad only pulling ahead in the final minutes. Courtside fans, unable to contain themselves, [stormed the hardwood]() to take selfies with the stars in pure playoff ecstasy. For those watching at home, things were pretty much just as exciting, except for one tiny little wrinkle: a seconds-long clip in ESPN's presentation featuring an AI-generated likeness of Spurs legend Tony Parker. As first [reported by *Awful Announcing*](), during the second half of the game ESPN cut to a routine commercial break. Before the true ad break begins, networks like to insert a little [commercial bumper](). In this particular bumper, a voice over announced that the broadcast was brought to viewers by Burger King and the upcoming Universal Pictures movie "Minions & Monsters." As ESPN displayed a little ad box for the Minion flick, the main image flashed to what looks like B-roll of Parker, slowly wagging his finger while he clutches a cigar. It's a real blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but eagle-eyed basketball fans were quick to point out the bizarre decision to use generative AI on the landmark broadcast. https://twitter.com/welovesports40/status/2062506902336979128?s=20 "Could ESPN really not find a genuine shot of Tony Parker as they cut to an ad break? Just had to use AI," commented [journalist Jon Healy]() on X-formerly-Twitter. "AI sucks," [said sports anchor Jeff Dubrof](). "This isn't Tony Parker. Do better. Gross." After the AI clip started making the rounds on social media, fans observed that it doesn't even particularly resemble the French-American NBA champ, who is currently 44 and not seemingly present at the game. "I didn't even know who this was supposed to be," [one fan groused](). Given that ESPN likely owns hundreds of hours of real footage of Parker — to say nothing of still images, which would be just as good — the fans make a compelling point: why on Earth was this animated with AI to begin with? **More on hoops:** *[NBA Commissioner Announces Plans to Let AI Take Over for Lazy Referees]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()