New York Governor Kathy Hochul has clapped back after Texas Governor Greg Abbott posted an artificial intelligence-generated image depicting himself dunking a basketball over her ahead of the NBA Finals.
The digital illustration, shared by Abbott on X, shows the Texas governor in his wheelchair launching over a woman in a New York Knicks uniform, widely interpreted to represent Hochul. Underneath the basket, President Donald Trump is depicted laughing.
“Spurs about to dunk on Knicks like Texas has been dunking on New York,” Abbott captioned the image. “Go Spurs Go.”
Hochul responded to the post on Monday on X.
“BREAKING: Greg Abbott comes out for men and women competing on the same court,” she wrote.
The online exchange comes as the San Antonio Spurs prepare to face the New York Knicks in the best-of-seven championship series, starting Wednesday at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. The matchup is a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, which the Spurs won in five games to secure the franchise’s first title.
The post drew immediate pushback from several basketball fans who objected to the governor using the team for a political statement.
“Spurs fans don’t claim you, bud,” wrote one user, identifying themselves as @tttybaby.
Another user, Dan Rossiter, stated that fans rejected the political imagery.
“Bro, this weird MAGA fetish thing you’re doing… no one wants it,” Rossiter wrote. “We love the Spurs. You, we do not love.”
Others pointed out the irony of the conservative governor celebrating a team led by French star Victor Wembanyama.
“In no way shape or form does Victor Wembanyama want anything to do with you,” a user with the handle @SwipaCam wrote.
The Spurs advanced to the finals following a seven-game series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. The Knicks secured a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The two teams split their regular-season series with one win each.
