Former NBA player turned media personality Matt Barnes is fighting back after allegedly becoming the victim of a high-tech AI extortion scheme that cost him $60,000 and damaged his reputation.
According to Barnes, a woman known only as “Zany” used artificial intelligence to create convincing fake audio, videos, and text messages appearing to show him being unfaithful. The fabricated content, he says, was realistic enough that he initially paid the woman $60K to keep the materials from going public.
But that wasn’t the end of it. Barnes claims the situation escalated when controversial blogger Tasha K (Latasha Kebe) shared the false allegations online — amplifying the story and further tarnishing his name.
Now, Barnes is suing Tasha K for defamation, saying he’s determined to expose the truth and highlight how AI technology can be “weaponized to destroy people’s lives.”
“This isn’t just gossip — this is someone weaponizing technology to destroy people’s lives,” Barnes told reporters. “People need to understand how dangerous this is.”
The former Sacramento Kings forward is reportedly working with legal and cybercrime experts to identify how the deepfakes were made and to hold all parties involved accountable.
AI Deepfakes & Celebrity Extortion
This case marks one of the most prominent celebrity allegations of AI deepfake blackmail to date — a growing concern in the entertainment and influencer world. As AI tools become more advanced, faked videos and voice recordings are increasingly difficult to detect, creating new opportunities for extortion and misinformation.
Social media has been buzzing since the news broke, with fans split between sympathy for Barnes and concern over what the incident says about AI privacy and accountability.
Meanwhile, Tasha K, who previously lost a multimillion-dollar defamation case to Cardi B, has yet to publicly respond to the lawsuit.
Barnes’ legal team says they plan to pursue the matter aggressively, framing it not just as a personal fight but as a warning to others about how dangerous unchecked AI use can be.
“If this could happen to me — a public figure with resources — imagine what it’s doing to people who can’t defend themselves,” Barnes said.
