The entire NBA media went in a frenzy following an admission from Rajon Rondo about his relationship with Coach George Karl.
Most of the reports had an "I told you so" vibe about them and no one was spared, even the media giants.
The original quote came from a video interview with Cowbell Kingdom (shared on Youtube), a Sacramento Kings fansite that also covers the entire NBA.
The relevant quote: "It's not been going too well," Rondo said. "We got into a couple arguments the last couple days. Hopefully we continue to talk and get better."
The media outlets took it seriously, because Rondo kept a straight face. CBS Sports said:
"This didn't take long. After the fifth game of preseason, Rajon Rondo is already having problems with another head coach."
SB Nation was already faltering between truth and fiction:
"The point guard is known for giving deadpan answers to the media, so maybe this is just Rondo being Rondo, but it's not encouraging after everything he's dealt with the past year."
News already reached the East Coast, with the NY Post also rendering its own take on the quote.
"As soon as Rajon Rondo signed with Sacramento, many wondered how deep into the season the high-drama guard would get before clashing with prickly coach George Karl. Turns out he didn't even make it to the season."
The rationale on why these media outfits had good reason to believe the story was that both sides just recently had problems getting along with players and coaches from their teams.
Rondo had the infamous "F*** off" episode with Coach Rick Carlisle of the Dallas Mavericks and George Karl just apologized to star player (not center) DeMarcus Cousins for inadvertently fueling trade talks last summer.
UPDATE: A series of tweets from Grant Napear (host of the Grant Napear show) and Sacramento Bee writer Jason Jones (also James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom) dispute the allegations.
As I first thought I've learned that Rajon Rondo's comments about George Karl last night were purely in jest! This is an absolute non story!
— Grant Napear (@GrantNapearshow) October 14, 2015
Calm down folks. There's no #beef between Rajon Rondo and George Karl. Rondo has been using that joke since July. No issues — Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) October 14, 2015
Hearing that Rondo's comments in the locker room last night were tongue and cheek. Should had clarified, but he thought it was understood.
— James Ham (@James_Ham) October 14, 2015
Rondo, you troll!