Rihanna Shuts Down NBA Star's Claim That They Are Dating

Nice try Matt Barnes, Rihanna has never even met you

Gentlemen beware: if you’re gonna go around telling people you’re dating Rihanna, you better make sure you’re ACTUALLY dating Rihanna.

The 27-year-old’s love life became a hot topic recently when basketball player Matt Barnes dropped some pretty heavy hints that he was courting Ri-Ri.

In an impromptu “interview” with TMZ, the 35-year-old NBA player said: “Rihanna is my friend right now so we’ll see where it goes.”

So far, so non-committal.

When asked if there was a future for the pair though, he was a little more descriptive in his answer: “Possibly, possibly. I think it’s just past the crush stage. Just a little bit though.”

However when asked where they went on their first date he claimed “all that was rumours”.

Wait, so are you dating or not?

It seems that Rihanna herself was just as confused as everybody else by the comments and she swiftly took to Instagram to shut this guy’s s*** down, telling the world that not only are the two not dating but that she’s never even met him.

The professional provocateur posted a screenshot of the TMZ video on Instagram with the hashtag laden caption: “#bishwhere #thedevilisaliar #shesnotthatintoyou #shesnotintoyouatall #shesneverevenmetyou #thisactuallyhurtmyfeelings #defamationofcharacter”

Not only was Rihanna rather hilarious in her shade throwing but she was also 100 per cent in the right. The award-winning artist has carved out an incredible career for herself as not only a musician but a style innovator and cultural icon. She is not a piece of arm candy men can start inventing relationships with to make themselves more famous.

If a sportsman wants to up his profile, here’s an idea: be better at your job. Rihanna, and all women in positions of power, are not stars to hitch your imaginary wagon to in the hope of 15 minutes of fame. It’s degrading to all these women and they deserve better.

Unsurprisingly, Barnes has kept incredibly quiet on social media since the story broke yesterday. Can’t think why…