Kings reporter says she was wrongly identified after viral hot-mic moment

The viral hot-mic mess from Kings media day has produced another unfortunate development.

NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Tristi Rodriguez says she was wrongly identified online as one of the women heard discussing Kings players Ben Simmons and Zach LaVine, and that the mistake resulted in what she described as “horrific messages.”

Rodriguez addressed the situation in a statement on X.

“The past few days have been tough,” she wrote. “I got dragged into something that had nothing to do with me and I watched my name and reputation be tarnished across the internet.

“To be very clear, that was not my voice at Kings Media Day.”

As Hoops Wire previously relayed⁠, an open microphone captured women discussing Simmons and LaVine following media day, including comments about their appearances and personalities. The audio quickly made the rounds on social media.

Then came the internet detective work. Apparently, some of it wasn’t very good. Rodriguez said she wasn’t responding for the benefit of those who attacked her, but rather to clear her own name.

“Thank you to those who know me and know my professionalism and immediately knew that wasn’t me,” she wrote. “Your messages, support and love have gone a long way over these extremely dark days.”

Rodriguez added that she’s ready to move on and cover another NBA season — which seems like a considerably better idea than falsely identifying people from a hot microphone.