A hot mic turned Sacramento Kings media day into an embarrassment on Monday, with reporters at Golden 1 Center caught making crude comments about Ben Simmons and Zach LaVine during the livestream.
The clip that spread online appeared to capture one male reporter and a couple of female reporters talking about the two players in a way that was anything but professional. At one point, a reporter said, “That’s what comes with being Ben Simmons,” followed by, “… Cringe, cringe.”
Sara Hodges’ name was mentioned multiple times at the start of the viral video, and she was present on media day. It is not clear whether Hodges, a sports anchor/reporter for CBS Sacramento and ABC, made any of the comments heard in the clip.
The remarks kept going from there. One reporter said of Simmons, “He’s lucky he’s so fine,” while another added, “He’s a good-looking dude,” before continuing, “I didn’t notice like his skin is so smooth. I was like, damn, no tattoos?”
Simmons had signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Kings in early September. The 30-year-old had been away from the NBA for a year and spoke on media day about how excited he was to get back to work. He obviously would not have known what was being said behind his back.
The conversation then shifted to other players, with the male reporter saying he thought New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Poole was her type. That led to another female reporter saying “lightskins” are allegedly her type.
Zach LaVine came up next, and the tone didn’t improve. One reporter said, “I think his personality annoys the s*** outta me.”
LaVine, who the Chicago Bulls traded to the Kings back in February 2025, has been in Sacramento for a while now, and at least one reporter clearly was not impressed. Another said, “Zach’s cute, but his personality fing annoys me,” followed by, “He just seems like he’s hella like a p*.”
Then came a different assessment: someone else called LaVine “hella fine,” and the reporter agreed he is beautiful. The male reporter then asked them to rank the Kings players by “fineness.”
“Actually, I think I’d put Ben above Zach,” a reporter said. “… He’s very smooth. I was like, damn, what’s your lotion?”
Another reporter said Simmons looks a lot younger than LaVine, and someone else pointed out that Simmons has not been a King for a year and a half like LaVine. The joke, at least by implication, was that time in Sacramento ages you.
The clip made the rounds online with the caption: “Female Kings reporters were caught on a hot mic:
“Ben Simmons is cringe, cringe, he’s lucky he’s fine…
Zach LaVine is cute but his personality f*cking annoys me. It just seems like he’s a prick.” pic.twitter.com/NP7n8EWS0M
- BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) September 28, 2026”
It is not a good look, and the Kings may be able to identify who was involved. If they do, they could decide not to let them back in the building.
This is also not the first time reporters have been caught on a hot mic. In April 2025, Toronto Raptors reporters went viral after mocking Scottie Barnes and Jonathan Mogbo.
One reporter said, “It’s not just [Barnes’] enunciation, which was super bad, especially last year,” and added, “But even the attitude… Like he’s having fun up there. First year or even before, he just kept getting worse and worse every year.”
The comments got worse from there when Mogbo came up.
“When I first interviewed Mogbo when he was drafted, I was shocked ’cause he was so dumb when they drafted him,” a reporter said.
The reporters were later told there were live mics in the room, and they laughed it off. Once the clip went viral, Barnes noticed it and posted it on his Instagram story with the caption: “Be chatting lol.”
In Other News...
Kings Training Camp Just Added A Surprise To The Roster Battle
The Kings training camp roster offered a little more intrigue than usual, thanks to a trio of non-guaranteed names who will get a real look in the weeks ahead. Leaky Black, Elfrid Payton and Tristen Newton are all in camp on training camp contracts, giving Sacramento a chance to take a closer read before the roster settles for the season. Black, a defense-first small forward added by the Stockton Kings earlier in September, is the most notable of the group because he is trying to break through in a crowded part of the roster.
Sacramento still has two open spots, so camp is doing more than just getting the legs under the group - it is shaping the final decisions. Blacks path is especially tricky because the Kings already have depth on the wing, which means every practice and scrimmage matters as the team weighs fit, upside and versatility. The situation could remain fluid for a while, with roster movement expected over the next few months as the Kings continue sorting out who sticks. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Media Day Controversy Has Fans Waiting For Fallout
Media day is usually one of the calmer stops on the NBA calendar, a chance for teams to set the tone before the season begins. For the Kings, it turned into something else entirely when a leaked audio recording reportedly caught reporter Sara Hodges making disparaging remarks about Ben Simmons and Zach LaVine, a clip that quickly spread across social media and turned a routine event into a talking point far beyond the room.
The reaction has been immediate, with fans piling on and former NBA player Royce White also weighing in as the audio circulated. What has kept the story simmering, though, is the silence from both the Kings and Hodges, leaving plenty of questions about whether the episode will fade as another online flare-up or lead to something more concrete from the organization. [Read more 🡒]
Doug Christie Is Putting Kings Camp Pressure On One Big Question
Doug Christie is spending the early days of Kings camp pushing a familiar message: depth only matters if it comes with buy-in, defense and day-to-day consistency. Sacramento enters the new season with a roster Christie believes is deeper and more versatile, and the addition of Ben Simmons has only sharpened the conversation about how the pieces fit. Christie has pointed to Simmons progress in training as part of that picture, while also stressing that the Kings need competition and routine to help younger players settle into reliable habits.
The bigger question now is how quickly all of that translates once the games start to count, especially with a preseason schedule already laid out and opportunities to sort through rotations and roles. Christies emphasis suggests the Kings are treating camp as more than a tune-up period, using it to establish the defensive standards and steady approach he wants from the group. For a team looking to turn roster flexibility into actual advantage, the next few weeks should reveal plenty about which combinations are ready to stick. [Read more 🡒]