James Harden faced online ridicule after sharing an AI-generated career summary video that misspelled his name
Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden warms up before the game. Photo: Reuters
James Harden became the subject of online ridicule after posting an AI-generated video summarizing his basketball career that included multiple mistakes, including spelling his own name incorrectly.
The 36-year-old National Basketball Association star shared a 69-second animated video on social media as part of a collaboration with Utopai Studios, praising the company’s generative model and calling it “Flame.”
The Pixar-inspired clip depicts a young Harden growing into the MVP-caliber player fans know today. However, viewers quickly noticed some glaring mistakes.
In one moment, the name on the back of Harden’s jersey reads “Uno,” while in another frame it says “Pioufis” instead of Harden. This video incorrectly labels the NBA Draft as “ONA Dolan.”
Other oddities also appear throughout the clip. In one sequence, a basketball disappears during play and then reappears with another player, temporarily transforming two players in the background into one. Fans also pointed out that Harden seemed to be shooting with the wrong hand.
This inaccuracy quickly sparked criticism online, with many users questioning why a famous athlete would rely on AI instead of working with a human artist.
Some commenters joked that Harden could easily hire professional animators, while others said the project highlighted the flaws in current AI-generated media.
Despite the backlash, the video still garners millions of views across Harden’s social media platforms. The player has not publicly addressed the criticism.
