ESPN pays roughly $2.6 billion per season for NBA media rights, including the NBA Finals.

They might want to consider kicking in a few more bucks to hire a human graphics designer instead of the lazy AI slop they produced to celebrate the New York Knicks’ first NBA title since 1973.

Behind Finals MVP Jalen Brunson’s 45-point performance, New York finished off the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Saturday. New Yorkers, many of whom had already been outside at various watch parties, took to the streets to celebrate the historic championship.

Everyone seemed to be ready for the Knicks to win on Saturday. Nike had a Josh Safdie-directed commercial ready to go. There was a Fanatics commercial for commemorative gear on ABC right afterward as well.

On social media, every sports-centric account attempted to make their mark and go viral, riding the good vibes. That includes the SportsCenter account, which posted a video that was very clearly AI slop from the jump. If someone watching hadn’t figured that out immediately, the “helicopter shot” above Central Park with a NYC skyline full of fake buildings certainly cemented it. And that’s before you get to the final shot, which reads “Worth the Weight,” which was certainly supposed to read “Worth the Wait.”

START SPREADING THE NEWS‼️

NEW YORK IS BACK ON TOP 🏆 pic.twitter.com/7kOBadIhq8

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 14, 2026

This actually makes a great illustration about why people don’t like AI-generated videos. The AI-generated images depict scenes of exhilaration and happiness, yet you can feel the soullessness emanating from the crowds of fake people within. Including a skyline full of fake buildings is an insult to the city you’re attempting to honor. And posting it with a literal spelling error is just the icing on the lazy cake.

knicks first ring in 70 years and the soulless company you are decides to pollute our eyes with AI.

— kimberly. (@problemsthots) June 14, 2026

Crazy that ESPN is shamelessly posting misspelled AI slop lol on Main pic.twitter.com/XoDSQeFSRD

— ShakerBall Capital (@ShakerBall_Cap) June 14, 2026

Plenty of actual video to use and yall are posting AI slop what the fuck is this garbage timeline we’ve entered https://t.co/Nzxgw77yds

— 2008-17 capitals survivor (@averagecapsfan) June 14, 2026

You’re telling me a marquee franchise wins its first title in over half a century…

And the “world wide leader in sports” uses an AI video that says

“Worth the weight.”

There are so many people who would love the chance to make a video like this.

Shameful. #nbachampions https://t.co/3aqh3VuOn8

— Ed DiOrio (@EddieDTV) June 14, 2026