The Aporia · Kings hot mic reporter reveals ‘horrific messages,’ clears name after controversy

Kings hot mic reporter reveals ‘horrific messages,’ clears name after controversy

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Martinez, V. (2026, October 2). Kings hot mic reporter reveals ‘horrific messages,’ clears name after controversy. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/02/sports/kings-hot-mic-reporter-horrific-messages-clears-name-controversy/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Tristi Rodriguez, a Sacramento Kings reporter, issued a statement on X to clarify that she was not one of the women heard in a controversial hot mic recording from the team’s media day, where female reporters discussed the attractiveness of players Ben Simmons and Zach LaVine. The post also mentions the harassment Rodriguez faced online after being incorrectly identified as one of the voices in the clip. Rodriguez emphasizes her professionalism and looks forward to continuing her work covering sports teams in Northern California.

Written by AI on 2026-10-03, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Tristi Rodriguez, a Kings reporter, recently faced online backlash after being incorrectly identified as one of the women in an embarrassing hot mic recording from the team's media day. The clip went viral on social media, with many speculating about the identities of the female reporters who discussed the attractiveness of players like Ben Simmons and Zach LaVine. Rodriguez took to X (formerly Twitter) to clear her name, stating that she was not among those caught in the recording. She expressed frustration at the harassment she received due to the false speculation and emphasized her professional integrity. Despite the controversy, Rodriguez remains optimistic about covering the upcoming NBA season.

Written for “Kings Reporter Controversy” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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0 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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not political

takes no side on a contested political question

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New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

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articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Valentina Martinez

135 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

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Also by Valentina Martinez

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 135 articles by Valentina Martinez →

Claims (24 extracted, 0 hedged)

Tristi Rodriguez is a Kings reporter, but she wasn’t one of the women featured in the hot mic moment at the team’s media day. asserted

she → feature → day

Rodriguez released a statement in a post on X, where she revealed that she was incorrectly speculated to be one of the voices heard on the embarrassing clip. asserted

she → release → clip

I got dragged into something that had nothing to do with me and I watched my name and reputation be tarnished across the internet. asserted

name → drag → internet

To be very clear—that was not my voice at Kings Media Day,” Rodriguez said in a statement. asserted

Rodriguez → say → statement

“I want to clear my name, not for the trolls who have flooded my mentions and DMs with horrific messages, but for myself. asserted

who → want → myself

Thank you to those who know me and know my professionalism and immediately knew that wasn’t me. asserted

that → thank → professionalism

Your messages, support and love have gone a long way over these extremely dark days. asserted

messages → go → days

“I’m looking forward to another exciting NBA season and continuing to do what I do best — my job.” asserted

I → look → job

The hot mic moment went viral on social media with several people attempting to unveil the identities of the female reporters caught on the clip. asserted

people → go → clip

where they discussed the attractiveness of Ben Simmons and Zach LaVine. asserted

they → discuss → Simmons

Ben Simmons was, that’s what comes with being Ben Simmons. asserted

what → ’ → ?

Cringe!” a woman said. asserted

woman → say → ?

“He’s lucky he’s so fine,” another female reporter said. asserted

reporter → ’ → ?

“He’s a good looking dude! asserted

He → ’ → ?

I didn’t notice, his skin is so smooth. asserted

skin → notice → ?

I was like, damn, no tattoos?” said another. asserted

another → say → ?

The two reporters also discussed LaVine, all caught on the viral clip. asserted

all → discuss → clip

“Hella fine!” the woman said about LaVine. asserted

woman → say → LaVine

“I mean, his personality annoys the s*** out of me, so that’s what makes him less fine.” asserted

him → mean → me

“Zach is cute, but his personality f——g annoys me,” added the other woman. asserted

woman → annoy → me

“He just seems like he’s hella, like a p—-k… asserted

he → seem → p—-k

He’s beautiful.” asserted

He → ’ → ?

Rodriguez revealed she was not one of the women featured in the clip. asserted

she → reveal → clip

The NBC Sports Bay Area reporter doesn’t only cover the Kings, she also works with the 49ers and other professional sports teams in Northern California. asserted

she → cover → California

Kings hot mic reporter reveals ‘horrific messages,’ clears name after controversy

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Claims (24 extracted, 0 hedged)