Kamal Ghorui
IShowSpeed is in the middle of a strange situation after an advertisement showing his face aired during an NBA game without his team’s approval. The ad reportedly played during the Sacramento Kings vs San Antonio Spurs game on March 17, 2026, and viewers quickly noticed something was off. The clip, first shared by X user @BalaPattySZN, showed the streamer appearing in the ad along with a QR code asking people to scan it. Many fans said they also saw the same ad on TV and Twitch.Very soon, his cameraman and team member Slipz responded publicly. He made it clear that the team had nothing to do with it. He called the ad “illegal” and said they are already looking into the issue. His replies came directly on X on March 17, where he first thanked the user for sharing the clip and then addressed growing questions from others online.
IShowSpeed’s team member Slipz calls alleged AI advertisement illegal as NBA broadcast sparks confusion
As the clip spread online, more users started asking if Darren IShowSpeed had allowed his likeness to be used, especially since some creators have signed AI deals before. One user, @TheAnaIytics, asked if this could be a similar case. Slipz quickly shut that down. He clearly replied, “No this advertisement is illegal and will be addressed!” (Source: X).The situation became even more confusing when another user, @feelspov, said they saw the same ad while watching another stream. Reacting to this, Slipz sounded surprised and said, “LMAO yo how does a company make such a mistake so publicly thank you for letting me know.” (Source: X).While this issue was building up, Darren IShowSpeed was live on YouTube a day earlier on March 16, 2026, doing what he does best—interacting with fans. During the stream, he watched a video imagining different versions of him from around the world. He joked with his chat and asked fun “smash or pass” questions about those versions.At one point, he said, “What if IShowSpeed was born in other countries? Jamaican speed. Yo, chat, y’all like Jamaican speed?” He continued reacting to different versions, including Australian and Korean versions, while talking directly with viewers.Later in the stream, he looked at an Indian version of himself and said, “Are y’all smashing Indian speed? Yes or no? I’m smashing Indian speed.” He kept the mood playful but also got slightly serious when chat comments crossed the line, reminding viewers to be respectful.By the end, he said he found the video “crazy” and had no idea how it was made. While his livestream stayed light and fun, the advertisement issue happening at the same time has raised serious questions about AI use and content rights.
