Former basketball star and NBA champion Rip Hamilton has been trending since the weekend but not necessarily for the reason you might expect.
The past weekend an X user posted a photo of Hamilton seemingly endorsing Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election by wearing a “Make America Great Again” shirt. For many, that in itself was concerning.
But a few fans started digging and noticed something was off about the photo of Hamilton.
One, the second letter A in the word America was pretty clearly over a crease in the shirt. Two, the picture itself was from an interview where Hamilton was wearing a red shirt with no letters on it at all.
Fans reached the conclusion that the photo was faked.
I’ve never seen letters look so neat… That last “A” is clearly over a wrinkle in the shirt but it’s untouched … it’s almost as if this was photoshopped… and only allowing people you follow to see it shows how misinformation spreads sooooo quickly among Trump supporters https://t.co/Oh0WNxtwiT
— The 1st Brokage (@Parker__Black) August 21, 2023
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This is faker than the trivia questions that people get right at #Pistons games https://t.co/CirpRgUGGY
— Kingi (@trademarktaz) August 21, 2023
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Weird guy to do this obvious photoshop to. Rip is a Detroit sports icon, but nobody else knows who he is. When “Rip Hamilton” trends, people think the Broadway play is coming to an end. https://t.co/6fpDL0tfv9
— Jacob (@jacobsimmerman) August 21, 2023
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As evidently flawless as “Ole Murica” is at photo editing, it appears this isn’t real https://t.co/ue1vIzlBZg https://t.co/4reVpVJ0eO pic.twitter.com/cMHqZ6Nl7z
— Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) August 21, 2023
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lol guys if you’re gonna photoshop that stupid phrase onto a shirt make sure it doesn’t go over a crease, or at least crease the word too. https://t.co/U8SGoaGXPD
— Simon (@ItsSimonBtw) August 21, 2023
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With a name like “Rip Hamilton” though, X users who were unfamiliar with the three-time NBA All-Star and former NBA champion saw the name trend and instantly became confused.
Some wondered if Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton had passed away while others wondered if the Broadway musical “Hamilton” might have been canceled.
As for Rip Hamilton himself, he hasn’t posted anything on X in nearly three weeks. He may be in for a big surprise when someone shows him what happened with his name these past couple of days.