🏀 Investigative reporter @PabloTorre says the NBA’s “progressive” brand is colliding with its “capitalist instinct,” as the league and its stars chase money from crypto, gambling, the Emirates, and Israel-linked tech used to “war crime Palestinians,” while betting mainstream sports media won’t press them on it. He spoke to @CHAPOTRAPHOUSE about NBA star Kevin Durant’s (@KDTrey5) investment in Skydio, which has supplied short-range drones to the Israeli military for use in Gaza. Torre says these deals are likely happening with “extraordinarily little due diligence” as famous names pile into Silicon Valley rounds, then shrug when the politics catch up. They also cite @TheGrayzoneNews’ reporting tying @StephenCurry30-backed firms to Israeli cyber and cloud security startups founded by veterans of Israel’s Unit 8200, describing it as part of a broader sportswashing ecosystem: “shady” industries and states normalizing themselves by moving through sports, in this case, the NBA. The NBA’s response has been silence. They are relying on a “compliant media that doesn’t want to touch any of this stuff,” Torre said. “Let’s count on them to not ask about it,” adding that so far it has been an “effective strategy.” Dallas Mavericks star @KyrieIrving echoed that frustration during All-Star weekend: “No real questions that happen, bro. No real questions… And y’all know the questions I’m talking about.” Torre argues the NBA has cultivated an “unsustainable reputation,” portraying itself as “the good guys” while it “keeps on getting into business with characters that are very persuasively the bad guys.” “So far they’re just hoping that no one really asks them about it in public. And so far they’ve gotten away with it.” He points to the league’s wider money trail: crypto arena naming rights, sports betting and “prediction markets,” Gulf cash, and deals like Experience Abu Dhabi on the Knicks jersey. The UAE has been widely reported as a key backer of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, which the U.S. government has determined committed genocide. The NBA also green-lit Israeli-American ultra-Zionist Miriam Adelson’s family buying the Mavericks, while putting the team under her son-in-law’s name to soften backlash. The full episode is available at the link in reply.