- Lillard appears to be discussing his arrival in Milwaukee after his Bucks debut
- Instead, the footage appears to be from the NBA’s bubble in late 2020
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ESPN’s social media team is accused of creating a “deep fake” from recycled, three-year-old footage from an interview with Damian Lillard following the All-Star’s triumphant debut with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The clip appeared on SportsCenter’s X account Thursday night, following Lillard’s 39-point outburst in Milwaukee’s win over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers.
“I want nothing more,” Lillard, 33, said in the clip. “I told you, when I first came here, I said I didn’t come here to waste my time.”
At first glance, Lillard appeared to be speaking after Thursday’s season opener at the Sixers. Apparently, the former Portland Trail Blazers star discussed his arrival in Milwaukee and his expectations for his first season with his new team.
But closer inspection revealed discrepancies with the track design, as well as curious details about the ESPN microphone. Eventually, fans learned that the clip was originally recorded in 2020, when Lillard and his Trail Blazers were competing in the NBA’s Orlando-based, COVID-resistant bubble during the pandemic.
ESPN’s social media team is accused of creating a ‘deep fake’ of a 2020 Lillard clip
The original clip appears to have been filmed during the NBA’s Orlando bubble in August 2020
So Lillard wasn’t talking about his arrival in Milwaukee, but rather his now-former team’s chances of advancing to the 2020 postseason at Disney World, where much of the league relocated during the coronavirus pause season.
“Don’t do this,” NBA reporter Kelly Dwyer wrote in response to the video.
‘Why hasn’t this completely irresponsible message been removed yet?’ asked Forbes’ Shane Young.
Fans were less friendly.
“Lol Sportscenter used to be a clown competition but this is just sad,” one person wrote. “ESPN is a joke too.”
Another clue: The Bucks wore a jersey that read “MILWAUKEE” during Thursday’s win (right)
Not only was the footage likely taken from a 2020 clip, but the interview was also done by TNT
As many have noted, the Bucks logo seen behind Lillard in the clip is superimposed, as is the Milwaukee jersey the perennial All-Star wore in the footage. In fact, it wasn’t even the right Bucks jersey that was placed over Lillard.
Additionally, Lillard speaks into a microphone connected to a long-form microphone — which was common in the year following the COVID-19 pandemic but is typically no longer used.
The original footage appears to be from a TNT interview with Lillard at the end of the 2019-2020 season.
A spokeswoman for ESPN responded to Mail Sport’s request for comment, saying the post was not an attempt to mislead anyone, but rather an attempt to connect a past event to a current event.
‘Every now and then we try to connect sporting moments from the past with contemporary images and storylines as part of our social content. While it was never our intention to misrepresent anything to fans, we fully acknowledge how this instance caused confusion.”