• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 1, 2025

McCarthy: ESPN Should Apologize For Fake Damian Lillard Video

  • ESPN issues non-apology for doctored video.
  • Network altered a three-year-old video from another network.
Damian Lillard ESPN
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Sometimes, companies just need to take the L – and move on.

That’s a lesson that ESPN’s social media team has yet to learn, given the controversy over a deep fake video starring new Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard.

To summarize, ESPN’s SportsCenter account shared a manipulated video that appeared to depict Damian Lillard participating in an on-court interview with ESPN. However, the interview was not real and had been edited or fabricated somehow.

Instead, it was a digitally altered version of an interview Lillard did three years ago with TNT’s Chris Haynes in the NBA Bubble while he was still playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. 

ESPN even went so far as to digitally replace the TNT logo with its own four letters on the microphone.

Portland radio host Danny Marang spotted the deception – and called out ESPN’s social media team on Twitter.  

“Doesn’t feel like this kind of thing should be there [without] a disclaimer,” he tweeted.

You said it, Danny. 

Over the weekend, ESPN was rightly slammed for using deep fake technology. The network issued one of those non-apology apologies to Sports Media Watch that was as fake as the post.

“We occasionally look to connect sports moments of the past with contemporary imagery and storylines as part of our social content. While it was never our intention to misrepresent anything for fans, we completely recognize how this instance caused confusion,” said ESPN.

Come again?

If it wasn’t ESPN’s “intention to misrepresent anything,” why did they paint a fake jersey on Lillard, a fake logo on the mic, and a fake logo on the hardwood? 

If ESPN “completely” recognizes how the tweet would be confusing, why won’t they take it down? 

As of Monday morning, it was still up – maybe because it has drawn 9 million views and counting. 

Twitter even added a community note:  “This interview originally took place during the 2020 NBA season, when Lillard was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.”

Even more bizarre, the whole affair was an own goal by ESPN. 

Here was Lillard scoring a Bucks-record 39 points in his team debut. They could have picked out a dozen dramatic game highlights from his historic debut. Instead, ESPN’s social media team risked the network’s journalistic credibility with a phony video that was quickly exposed.

“Given that ESPN is a branch of The Walt Disney Company, employers of perhaps the most infamously aggressive intellectual property attorneys on earth, you have to wonder if the network would welcome a different account using ESPN interviews for similar purposes,” warned Yahoo Sports.

“Above all, this is just weird and should leave fans with a bleak view of what’s to come if this is something ESPN really wants to do. There is so much content out there to aggregate, but the biggest sports accounts on the internet taking real videos and reworking them to suit their own branding would blur the lines between real and fake in a way that many people are already concerned about due to the increasing use of AI and deep fakes.”

After a year of painful layoffs, ESPN needs good news to boost morale. Ironically, they had it last week, with ESPN becoming the No. 1 brand on TikTok with 41 million followers.

Instead, they’re fibbing and double-talking about a social media post. 

Doris Burke

Doris Burke Begins Historic NBA Broadcast Role

After an offseason shakeup, Doris Burke begins her role as ESPN’s first…
October 23, 2023

On Monday, I contacted Haynes for his view on ESPN appropriating his three-year-old Lillard video from the Bubble.

Haynes couldn’t be reached for comment. But he let his actions do his talking by retweeting an Awful Announcing story headlined: “ESPN completely misrepresents Damian Lillard interview in social media post.”

Everybody makes mistakes. It happens. If it was a bad joke, admit it. If it was a mistake, learn from it. Take the L and move on ESPN.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Nuggets, Rockets Make Aggressive Moves to Challenge Thunder

Denver took the Thunder to seven games in the conference semifinals.

ESPN, MLB Relationship May Not Be Over After All

The parties restart rights talks amid a high-profile divorce in February.

What Would a LeBron James L.A. Exit Look Like?

ESPN’s Bobby Marks said “there isn’t” a trade market for James.

As NBA Salary Cap Rises, Role Players Are Getting $100M+ Deals

The salary cap has increased by 10% in three of four seasons.

Featured Today

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena
June 26, 2025

Stanley Cup’s International Summer Tour: Rules, Repairs, and Raucousness

No pro trophy tour compares to the NHL’s three-month global victory lap.

ESPN’s Pitaro: RSN Turmoil An Opportunity to Expand Local Game Coverage

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro highlights a fast-developing regional content strategy.
CFP
January 3, 2024

Tuned In: CFP Committee Got It Right. And Fox Mounting Massive Rights Bid?

After all that criticism of the CFP selection committee, a Michigan-Alabama insta-classic proves they made the right call—for TV viewers, at least.
skip_bayless
August 2, 2024

Sources: FS1 Could ‘Blow Up’ Studio Lineup After Bayless Departure

Bayless’s exit could lead to significant changes to the network’s lineup.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
NFL WBD Paramount
December 21, 2023

Could Warner Brothers Discovery Swoop Back Into the NFL TV Business?

A merger of WBD and Paramount Global would reportedly bring NFL TV rights back to TNT.
NFL in London
December 13, 2023

Blanket Coverage: NFL’s Global Expansion Could Create Fourth Sunday Time Slot

NFL expands its International Series to eight games.
Bill Belichick
December 8, 2023

The Hoodie in the Booth? Bill Belichick’s TV Analyst Prospects Grow

If the Patriots coach is interested in TV, several TV networks told Front Office Sports they’d love to talk to him.
December 5, 2023

Seminoles’ CFP Snub Opens New Front in Disney vs. Florida War

Florida lawmakers are already considering legislation to protest the College Football Playoff’s exclusion of Florida State.