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Former NBA star Matt Barnes is pushing back on rumors that claimed he was scammed by an AI model. A rumor circulating around the internet got fresh air from another former NBAer, Gilbert Arenas, who addressed the gossip on his own podcast. Apparently, as the internet says, Barnes fell victim to a catfish who managed to walk off with $61,000 of his money. 'I've sat back and watched the internet lie about me the whole year,' Barnes said in a video posted to his Instagram account. 'The whole year -- lies from me being gay, to me talking abortion to me telling some girl not to do a reality show.' 'I get back from Dubai ... I see all of a sudden I'm suing an A.I. model, or I got played by an A.I. model.' 'You guys believe I got played by an A.I. model, and I'm suing 'em? Where the f*** did you guys get this from?!'
Barnes also called out Arenas, saying he eventually reached out to the former Wizards star to ask why he never checked in with him in the first place. 'I told him, 'After all we've been through, bro, like tap in with me to see if it's real.' He apologized,' Barnes said. He added in the video, 'Y'all can't believe everything you motherf***in' hear!!' Barnes opened up about a tough 2025 for him. In addition to the rumors, the 45-year-old revealed in April that his fiancée, Ananasa Sims, broke off their engagement. He was later publicly accused of infidelity by Sims.
Barnes, who is the CEO of All the Smoke Productions, told me that because of the increase in NBA content in the so-called manosphere, there can be pressure to give takes for clicks. (I told him that sounded familiar.) “There are some athletes in this space who say some of the craziest s—,” Barnes said. “I feel like if I put the work in and have deep, meaningful conversations, I’ll go viral for something that’s an interesting story.”
Matt Barnes: “This has really been bothering me because Klay Thompson, to me, is one of the coolest, most down-to-earth, nicest dudes. He doesn’t bother anyone, doesn’t mess with anybody — just plays with his dogs and goes out on his boat. Klay is just so cool. When I start seeing the disrespect toward Klay, I think it speaks to a bigger issue — the climate we live in now. You can’t age out gracefully anymore. LeBron is a perfect example. No matter how much greatness he’s given us — whether you love him or hate him — people are still going to find a way to criticize him. And Klay, obviously, after having those two major injuries, he’s not the same guy. But I hate seeing these young dudes talking trash. And I try, man — I try to give Ja Morant so much grace. Like, I rock with J, bro. But he’s been doing some b******, man. We try to defend him — probably more than we should — because we see the potential.”
Matt Barnes: What similarities did Michael Jordan and Dr J have, whether it be energy or style of play… George Gervin: Energy and drive, you know? I mean, the drive was just in practice, they had the same drive as they played in the game. Man, I mean, it helped me to see what I needed to do in the beginning with Doc in order to keep up, and then with Mike, it helped me see that I had my turn. You know what I'm saying? I mean, if that makes sense. You know what I mean? It's like, had a good run.
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Keyon Dooling: "Father Time is undefeated. But you know, the same way we invest in our bodies—like guys going to get their teeth done and things like that—we might have to call Turkey and go get those hairlines restored." Matt Barnes: "Would you lead the trip? Would you lead a trip of current and former players to restore their youth?" Keyon Dooling: "I would love to lead the trip. But Matt, the feds would have to give me my passport back. I’m still not allowed to leave the country at this moment. But when I am—I damn sure will lead that charge."
Matt Barnes: I got a 10-day contract with the Clippers. I want to say my first time, my first practice… First of all, the Clippers used to be ran by Donald Sterling, who's a piece of sh*t, let's just be honest. Eddie House: For real. Barnes: And it was such a bad college that there was no locker room, no showers, and you used to have to keep the back doors of the gym open so they didn't break into your cars."
Matt Barnes: Shaquille O’Neal used to tackle the trainers naked. Like he tried to corner me one time like naked and I picked up a pin and I was like ‘Shaq, don't make me stab your big ass, bro.’ I was like ‘I can't fight you. I'm not going to fight you. You're too f*cking big, but I'll stab you if you’re going to put your big 300 lb naked body on me.
Matt Barnes: "We turned a show into a whole company. Now we’re in boxing, MMA, launching NFL and MLB, something in FIFA, stepping into politics. Started All The Smoke Productions in 2024. JR Rider doc coming, Chris Webber doc coming. We didn’t know what we were building but we created an ecosystem."
Matt Barnes: "Interviewed Michelle Obama. Said a few cuss words, talked about Obama smoking weed. Down-to-earth. She literally texted me two weeks ago reminding me to get a prostate exam. That’s the kind of energy she has. We just met, but she gave that kind of motherly love. She also said she’s going to get us Obama."
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Marr Barnes: I wouldn't say that cannabis directly makes you better from an enhancement standpoint of an HGH or a steroid or something like that. I would say it enhances your play because you get a great night's sleep. It helps with inflammation. I smoke before I play, so I'm watching game film on Kobe Bryant and I'm high. So I'm tuned in to his moves. I know his rhythm. I know when he takes two dribbles right, he's going to stop and shot fake and get me up in the air. So I'm locked in.
Matt Barnes on Damian Lillard: the reason why I think Dame will be okay is because his game is never dependent on athleticism. You know, I mean, his strength, skill set, and ability to shoot the ball. I mean, it'll probably take a little bit to get back there, but I don't think it's going to be dramatic. I think the defensive end is something we're going to have to wait and see because he wasn't super strong on that side anyway.
Speaking on the latest episode of the All The Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Mobley reflected on his time with Yao in Houston and expressed that the 7-foot-6 center was more than just a dominant post scorer. “What people don’t understand about Yao. He could pass the ball, like Joker, he could've done that,” Mobley said. “It’s just the offense didn’t. Say we would’ve had Rick Adelman, for a fact, you would’ve seen more of Yao Ming. Like that Chris Webber, that Vlade Divac, Brad Miller type of passing. He had all of it.”
During practice, the now co-podcat host of "All the Smoke" took a shot the head coach saw as "ill-advised," and Cheeks stopped everything to call out his player in front of the whole roster. "I was going to pounce on him," Matt remembered his reaction. "Luckily, Chris [Webber] grabbed me and stopped me." Ultimately, Barnes, outspoken as ever, couldn't resist a jab. He said Cheeks' poor treatment of players left a lasting, and not positive, impact. "That's probably why he's a lifelong assistant," the 45-year-old noted, alluding to the fact that Mo hasn't held a main role on the sidelines since the 2014–15 NBA regular season.