Rihanna blasts NBA’s Matt Barnes for fueling dating rumors

Rihanna called out NBA star Matt Barnes on Sunday for instigating rumors that they were dating.

The former Clippers forward fueled speculation by telling TMZ Sports that the Barbadian singer is his “friend right now,” adding that a future was possible and that they’re “just past the crush stage.”

Apparently, this was news to RiRi, who took to Instagram to shut down the story by posting an image from the video accompanied by a litany of hashtags, the last of which accused Barnes of defaming her character.

“#bishwhere #thedevilisaliar #shesnotthatintoyou #shesnotintoyouatall #shesneverevenmetyou #thisactuallyhurtmyfeelings #defamationofcharacter,” the 27-year-old singer wrote.

Barnes, 35, who now plays for the Memphis Grizzlies, didn’t let the public shaming go, simply commenting on the photo with “Hahaa wow,” as seen in a screengrab posted by Complex.

There is a bit of history between the two stars, however. The pair have tweeted at each other, and a few months ago Barnes posted about Rihanna on Instagram for “Woman Crush Wednesday.” Other reports said he even got his ex-wife to give the chanteuse her stamp of approval.

Alas, the “Bitch Better Have My Money” singer has recently been linked to Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, with E! News reporting just this weekend that the two were spotted “near each other” for the third time in two weeks.

Near each other -- that’s exactly the same as dating, right?

Twitter: @NardineSaad