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Hot mic captures reporters commenting on Kings players' looks at media day

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets, all right-leaning.

6 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

A livestream of the Sacramento Kings' media day on Monday captured a hot-mic moment in which several women reporters were heard commenting on the physical appearance and personalities of guards Ben Simmons and Zach LaVine, calling them “cringe” and “hella fine.” The video, reportedly captured by NBC affiliate KCRA, went viral on social media. LaVine's wife, Hunter, commented on an Instagram post of the video, writing “a great start to the season!” Outlets report the reporters also discussed ranking Kings players by attractiveness. LaVine exercised a $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season with the Kings in June.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. A hot mic during the Sacramento Kings' media day captured women reporters discussing Ben Simmons' and Zach LaVine's looks and personalities.

    Reported byRight

  2. One reporter called Simmons “cringe” while praising his smooth skin and lack of tattoos.

    Reported byRight

  3. A reporter said she likes “lightskins” after a male reporter suggested Jordan Poole was her type.

    Reported byRight

  4. LaVine was called “hella fine” but his personality was described as annoying by the reporters.

    Reported byRight

  5. The reporters discussed ranking Kings players by attractiveness, with Simmons placed above LaVine.

    Reported byRight

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. LaVine's wife, Hunter, reacted to the video on Instagram with the comment “a great start to the season!”

    Reported byRight

  2. NBC affiliate KCRA's livestream is reported to be the source of the footage.

    Reported byRight

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    No coverage yet

    No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Right-leaning outlets uniformly frame the story as reporters being caught 'thirsting' or 'swooning' over the players' looks, with some outlets (New York Post, Washington Times) later adding the angle of LaVine's wife's reaction; The Washington Times' headline is comparatively more subdued and descriptive than the others.

    Zach LaVine’s wife Loaded verb“claps back”Combat framing for a reply.More neutral: responded, repliedDisagree with this highlight? at thirsty Kings reporter’s ‘personality’ diss with 5 words
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left

    Has not covered this story.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right5

    thirsting overwild hot-mic momentswooning overroasting him

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    thirsting overMore neutral: commenting on

    Casts the reporters' comments in a sexualized, judgmental tone rather than neutrally describing the commentary.

    Kings reporters caught thirsting over Ben Simmons, Zach LaVine in wild hot-mic moment: ‘I like lightskins’

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    wild hot-mic momentMore neutral: hot-mic moment

    Adds unnecessary drama to a routine hot-mic incident.

    Kings reporters caught thirsting over Ben Simmons, Zach LaVine in wild hot-mic moment: ‘I like lightskins’

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    swooning overMore neutral: commenting on

    Repeats the dramatized framing of the reporters' remarks from the headline.

    A pair of female reporters were caught swooning over Sacramento Kings guard Ben Simmons while roasting him in a hot mic.

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    roasting himMore neutral: criticizing his personality

    Adds a judgmental characterization of the reporters' comments beyond neutral description.

    …reporters were caught swooning over Sacramento Kings guard Ben Simmons while roasting him in a hot mic.

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    claps backMore neutral: responded or replied

    Combat framing for a reply.

    Zach LaVine’s wife claps back at thirsty Kings reporter’s ‘personality’ diss with 5 words

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • direct quotes from the hot-mic recording
  • the players' physical appearance being discussed
  • viral spread of the video
  • LaVine's wife's reaction
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Sep 28, 7:08 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightSep 28, 7:08 PM EDT
  2. Fox NewsFar RightSep 29, 11:13 AM EDT
  3. Breitbart NewsFar RightSep 29, 12:42 PM EDT
  4. The Washington TimesRightSep 29, 5:39 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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