NBA’s Matt Barnes Refutes Claims of Being Duped by AI Model: ‘Trash’
Former NBA player Matt Barnes has vehemently denied being scammed out of $61,000 by an AI model on a dating app, expressing his anger over the spread of this rumor online.
Barnes, 45, recently returned from a trip to Dubai and was met with this wild speculation, which originated when his friend, former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, mentioned it on his “Gil’s Arena” podcast.
“2025 has been a crazy year, man,” Barnes stated in a video shared on Instagram on Monday, December 8. “When I look back on this year in 10 to 15 years, it’s gonna be like, damn. My personal life has flipped upside down because of me, but at the same time, it’s really starting to take off.”
Barnes continued, “I’ve watched the internet spread lies about me all year long. From being called gay, to talking [someone into an] abortion, to advising a girl against doing a reality show.”
“Then I come back from Dubai … and suddenly I’m suing an AI model, or I got played by one,” he remarked. “And all these low-tier blogs run with it. Shout out to those who know the truth and the nonsense, or at least verify before spreading.”
Barnes mentioned that he did speak privately with Arenas, 43, about the situation.
“I talked with Gilbert,” he noted. “He acknowledged the nonsense, and from there it blew up.”
Barnes elaborated, “I told him, ‘After everything we’ve been through, man, check in with me to see if it’s true.’ He apologized, saying he didn’t know it was that serious, but when someone close to me addresses the lie, it just takes off.”
This isn’t the first time Barnes has encountered similar allegations. In 2023, he admitted to paying off a woman he had an affair with, even though they had never met in person.
Barnes concluded his video by urging viewers to be cautious about what they believe and shared that he’s been going through some tough times recently, without divulging too many details.
“Like I said, I’ve been dealing with some real stuff while y’all have been slandering me, but anyway, you know what they say,” he remarked. “When the hate doesn’t work, they start lying. But you don’t have to believe them. Trust me, you don’t. Stay blessed—2026, here we come.”
Barnes played in the NBA from 2004 to 2017, switching teams 12 times. A 2017 NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, Barnes was a second-round draft pick from UCLA and averaged 8.2 points per game throughout his career.
Barnes began dating Gloria Govan, known from Basketball Wives, in 2006, and the couple married in 2013. They have twin 17-year-old sons, Carter and Isaiah, as well as sons Ashton, 7, and Austin, 15 months, with fiancée Anansa Sims.
Barnes was arrested in 2010 on suspicion of domestic violence against Govan, now 40, although she denied the allegations, and the charge was later dismissed.
“Any domestic violence accusations are false,” she stated at the time. “My fiancé, Matt Barnes, has never physically abused me or my family.”
