ESPN pulls use of AI images from NBA Finals coverage after getting cooked by internet
ESPN’s high-tech experiment failed on national television.
The World Leader in Sports has decided to scrap the controversial AI-generated “animated portraits” that first appeared during the NBA Finals and quickly sparked backlash online.
The digital misfire occurred during Game 1 of the championship series between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
As ABC went into commercial break, viewers were shown what was intended to be an animated version of a classic image featuring Spurs legend Tony Parker.
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Instead, many fans saw what they described as an uncanny valley nightmare.
NBA legend Tony Parker attends the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center on March 16, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. (Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
The network used artificial intelligence to recreate a photo of Parker celebrating after winning the 2003 NBA championship.
But the result sparked criticism online, with viewers saying the technology had distorted the former Spurs star’s facial features.
Social media users quickly flocked to ESPN over the chart.
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Many questioned why the network, which has access to decades of NBA footage and photos, chose to use AI-generated animation.
“Why use AI when they literally have pictures?” one fan wrote to X.
Another shared: “As soon as I saw this last night I thought this guy must be Tony Parker, who is he?”
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Parker wasn’t the only NBA icon to get the AI treatment.
ESPN also used the technology to portray images of Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell and Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant.
Thousands of New York Knicks fans gather inside and outside Madison Square Garden and celebrate following the Knicks’ NBA Finals Game 2 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on June 5, 2026 in New York City. Several fans were arrested for climbing light poles and other structures during the celebrations. (Selçuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The animated portraits were absent during Game 2 and will not return for the remainder of the NBA Finals.
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ESPN executives quietly pulled the plug on the experiment.
A network source confirmed that the graphics were created using AI tools and said management was evaluating whether to continue using the technology in future releases.
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