Wolves Reporter Dane Moore's Denial of ESPN Assignment Desk Goes Viral

Independent Timberwolves reporter Dane Moore, who hosts the Dane Moore NBA Podcast, went viral on X/Twitter for denying ESPN's request to use video content he recorded in Denver on Sunday.

Following the Wolves' big road win over the Nuggets, Moore posted a clip from Anthony Edwards' media scrum in the visitor's locker room. In the video, Edwards answered a question from Moore about facing aggressive double teams from Denver — something that had bothered Minnesota's young superstar in previous years.

The ESPN Assignment Desk account responded to Moore's post, asking that he check his DMs for a message, which undoubtedly was them asking for permission to use the footage across ESPN's platforms. That's when Moore sent a decisive rejection of a response — one that he almost certainly couldn't have imagined would gain the kind of traction it did.

"You do not have permission to use it — as I’ve told you numerous times in DMs," Moore wrote. "Shouldn’t have laid off all those reporters if you wanted locker room content."

As of Monday afternoon, the tweet has 67 thousand likes and has been viewed nearly 3 million times.

You do not have permission to use it — as I’ve told you numerous times in DMs. Shouldn’t have laid off all those reporters if you wanted locker room content.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) March 2, 2026

Moore is referencing various layoffs at ESPN over the years that have reduced the prestigious outlet's presence in NBA locker rooms around the country. Only on rare occasions does ESPN have a reporter on assignment at Timberwolves games during the regular season. Moore, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, and Chris Hine of the Star Tribune are the only Wolves beat reporters who regularly travel to games away from Minneapolis.

It's good that ESPN asked for permission instead of simply taking Moore's content, but he was also well within his rights to deny that request. It's not totally clear if ESPN ultimately honored that refusal.

The public response to Moore's tweet has been overwhelmingly positive. It clearly resonated with people, including other sports journalists. That may be due to frustrations with the current state of ESPN as a company or the broader trend of large corporations' social media accounts aggregating from journalists doing the work. It could also just be general anti-layoff sentiment.

"You have no idea how awesome this is," one person wrote. "I NEVER see anyone refuse to give permission. I'm gonna follow you and I'm not even a Timberwolves fan."

"We should all do this (to be honest)," wrote Celtics reporter Noa Dalzell.

"This is badass and I am taking notes," wrote Eagles sideline reporter Devan Kaney. "Stop laying off reporters!"