That’s a big question I just posed in the subhead of today’s newsletter.
But I think it’s real. And it speaks to why this whole episode was so difficult.
Yes, the reason I’m Voltronning with my friends Tom Haberstroh and Amin Elhassan — the Internet-brained co-hosts of Basketball Illuminati — is because this episode is gonna be a true investigation.
An investigation into the newest and possibly weirdest mystery in the era of legalized gambling on professional sports.
Which required not only a dozen sources, as well as the kind of statistical insight housed over at
’s Substack, but also, in Amin Elhassan, a former Phoenix Suns exec who loves Nic Cage movies.Because in April of 2024, as you may recall, an obscure Toronto Raptor named Jontay Porter got banned for life from the NBA for betting on and tanking games, allegedly, as early as January 2024. Porter ultimately pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a New York City deli owner and a few other gamblers.
But that was then.
A couple weeks ago — on the eve of NBA free agency — the spotlight turned to someone new.
YOUTUBE SPOILER ALERT:
Thanks,
Pablo