Basketball Illuminati

Tom Haberstroh, Amin Elhassan and producer Anthony Mayes discuss the implications of TNT's 'Inside the NBA' being broadcast on ESPN. This past weekend featured a heavy dose of the NBA taking accountability for bad calls in their Pool Reports & Last Two Minute Reports. Most aggrieved were the Bucks, who capped off a week of referee contention with a $25k fine for Doc Rivers and an Illuminati coded Thanasis tweet. Then we bring in Truth Teller Brandon Payne of Accelerate Basketball to take us behind the curtain of the Warriors hot start and Steph Curry's continued excellence at the age of 36. Basketball Illuminati is now part of the Count The Dings Network. Join the Count The Dings Patreon to support the show, get ad free episodes and exclusive content at www.patreon.com/CountTheDings ILLUMINATI MERCH HAS RETURNED - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Haberstroh, Amin Elhassan and producer Anthony Mayes check in on Woj's dormant twitter account and discover signs of life. The Lakers dreamy 3-0 start to the season has faded into a more true to life 6-4 record with some bumps and bruises along the way. However, this hasn't stopped Dream Journal LeBron sharing tales from his mind palace, that all seem to involved Duke for some reason. Tom did his own research on the surge in star player injuries and how it stacks up on the recent past. In our new segment "Do You Believe?", we put the undefeated Cavaliers and struggling Bucks under the microscope. Basketball Illuminati is now part of the Count The Dings Network. Join the Count The Dings Patreon to support the show, get ad free episodes and exclusive content at www.patreon.com/CountTheDings ILLUMINATI MERCH HAS RETURNED - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Codebreakers abound this week on Illuminati. We're two weeks into the NBA season and some long simmering pots have come to a boil. In Charlotte, Grant Williams was ejected after he hip checked former teammate and alleged friend Jayson Tatum, ruining their dinner plans that evening. In Philadelphia, local columnist Marcus Hayes incited the wrath of Joel Embiid with some transgressive comments about the MVP's family. Finally, Compton's own Truth Teller Travonne Edwards taps in on the words indirectly exchanged between Drake and DeMar DeRozan in Toronto. Basketball Illuminati is now part of the Count The Dings Network. Join the Count The Dings Patreon to support the show, get ad free episodes and exclusive content at www.patreon.com/CountTheDings ILLUMINATI MERCH HAS RETURNED - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Way back in March of 2022, Tom Amin and Mayes interviewed the entrepreneur behind Ballsack Sports, who was changing the social media landscape with his deceptive misinformation. Now we're living in a new era, where any unsuspecting person can get clipped by the Marlo to Ballsack's Avon Barksdale: NBA Centel. We also bring in Wosny Lambre aka Big Wos of the Ringer to discuss an aggrieved Clippers' staffer suing the team, and he reveals a conspiracy surrounding the new Intuit Dome. Basketball Illuminati is now part of the Count The Dings Network. Join the Count The Dings Patreon to support the show, get ad free episodes and exclusive content at www.patreon.com/CountTheDings ILLUMINATI MERCH HAS RETURNED - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Illuminarmy Generals have broken their year long silence, Tom was the victim of a social media hack and Amin was taken captive on his trip to the Basketball HOF. Tom Did His Own Research on which agencies have the most salary accrued from and the largest volume of players on each team in the association. However, in order to make sense of it, we must explain the Camden Connection. Finally, Truth Teller and Executive Producer Zach Harper joins the show to explain the conspiracy swirling around the WNBA Finals. Basketball Illuminati is now part of the Count The Dings Network. Join the Count The Dings Patreon to support the show, get ad free episodes and exclusive content at www.patreon.com/CountTheDings ILLUMINATI MERCH HAS RETURNED - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On September 18th, ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski retired to become the GM of the men's basketball program at St. Bonaventure. On October 7th, Woj's former protegé Shams Charania replaced him as ESPN's new Senior NBA Insider. Much like a stunning twist in a season finale of Succession, this shakeup in the news breaker hierarchy came as a surprise to many, but for those with their third eye open, the clues were there. Tom, Amin and Mayes take you back to the point of origin, which led to a chain reaction that played out this summer as the Los Angeles Lakers searched for a new coach. Basketball Illuminati is now part of the Count The Dings Network. Join the Count The Dings Patreon to support the show, get ad free episodes and exclusive content at www.patreon.com/CountTheDings ILLUMINATI MERCH HAS RETURNED - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Illuminarmy generals are back! Tom Haberstroh, Amin Elhassan and producer Anthony Mayes have returned with their third eyes wide open to update the Illumination on a foundation shaking event that transpired while they were underground. In June, Tom discovered statistical irregularities in one of the most important pillars of Michael Jordan's mythology: his 1988 Defensive Player of the Year award. After the bombshell story went viral on Yahoo Sports, detailing evidence of home cooked stats, the startling revelation was clouded amid a morass of Klutch propaganda spurred by Nick Wright. Now, the Illuminati have enlisted Truth Teller and former NSA researcher Justin Jacobs to audit Tom’s findings and set the record straight. Basketball Illuminati is now part of the Count The Dings Network. Join the Count The Dings Patreon to support the show, get ad free episodes and exclusive content at www.patreon.com/CountTheDings ILLUMINATI MERCH HAS RETURNED - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the rest of the league has been working on bulking up and getting in shape, Media Day has us in our feelings thanks to Jimmy Butler's new look. Damian Lillard to Milwaukee, Jrue Holiday to Boston, everyone but Tyler Herro to Portland... It was a busy weekend. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic clocks back in to work. The voice of Basketball Illuminati himself Pablo Torre is here to share how he found out about the inciting phrase from Jordan Poole that elicited the infamous Draymond Green punch. Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dwyane Wade has started a campaign to tell every other superstar player that they were the reason he called and asked LeBron to take his talents to South Beach. The Warriors finally solved their depth issues... By bringing in renowned bleeping tough guy Rodney McGruder instead of Juan Toscano Anderson? Finally, limited fake Tim Bontemps Did His Own Research, surveying league insiders about who's gonna win the title, while Amin has some inconvenient insight into that investigation. Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An intrepid Twitter researcher @OtownNBA compiled a list of players that have racked up the most 'Bang!' calls by Mike Breen in the last decade. As the Damian Lillard saga drags on towards training camp, the Illuminati look back at the greatest September trades in history, including an NBA Finals loser bringing in a star that propelled them to a title. Then Tom Did His Own Research on which cities in the NBA had the highest and lowest participation rate by star players, meaning how likely they are to play when they come to town. Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The day after Novak Djokovic celebrated his 24th title and honored Kobe Bryant with a Mamba Forever shirt, Aaron Rodgers tore his achilles wearing the number 8. What is going on in NY? The league's competition committee is incorporating a new fine system to govern star player rest, however there are a plethora of exceptions, which we are calling the NBA Acceptable Rest Protocol. Team USA came up short of the bronze medal against Canada, so Tom Did His Own Research and put together 4 teams worth of players that could compete with Anthony Edwards and company. Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andre Drummond makes a bold proclamation about his career and hall of fame status, so the Illumination digs into the numbers behind his claim. Despite a brief hitch in their giddyup against Lithuania, Team USA rolled Italy in the FIBA quarterfinals, and there might be a motivational factor hiding in plain sight. Finally, back at the end of May, we brought on a Truth Teller that connected the dots on Referee Eric Lewis' burner account. Lo and behold, three months later, he retired and vanished into the wind. What happened? Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul George has thrown his proverbial hat in the ring, so the Illuminati compares his Chucky Barkley impression to Kenan Thompson and Aries Spears. Sprinter Noah Lyles incites the wrath of the NBA comments section, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is the Kobe of Jordan, and Rudy Gobert takes accountability for France being eliminated from the FIBA World Cup. Tom Does His Own Research on last year's Ref Score, which teams were assigned the most experienced referees and predicts which team jump up for in the upcoming season. Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A former NBA social media employee took to Facebook to air his grievances and promote his new consulting business after asking how to log out of the official NBA account. The James Harden saga continues with a healthy hundred thousand dollar fine from the association, but DA Amin Elhassan takes the case to defend him in Illuminati Court. Finally, do the NY Knicks have a serious grievance with a former employee bringing alleged proprietary information to the Toronto Raptors and breaking the code, or are they just being dicks about it? Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kyrie Irving is back in a big way, driving content on all segments of this show, and revealing his sworn fealty to a lord by wearing a certain number. Amin reports back from his experience at the Hall of Fame induction this past weekend, and tries to share credit with Curt Gowdy Media Award winner Marc Spears. James Harden broke the code on his dissatisfaction with the 76ers by calling Daryl Morey a liar, so we decode what Daryl was lying about and where this situation is headed. Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom has started a new Substack, The Finder, and we want you to find out why. Kevin Garnett is wondering where the all the mid level bread is located, so we head to the Illuminati bakery to prove that there's a lot more out there than you might think. Paolo Banchero is suiting for Team USA in this FIBA World Cup, and Amin unveils the truth of why he left Italy's national team behind in a quite inconvenient fashion. Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony Edwards is changing his jersey number, causing us to dip back into our numerology bag of tricks to interpret the significance. Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson are out while Doc Rivers and Doris Burke are in as ESPN shakes up their NBA Finals commentator team. Admiral of the IllumiNavy and Economics Professor Scott Kaplan joins the show to discuss his paper discussing 'The Distributional Impact of Maximum- and Minimum-Level Contracts on Player Compensation' Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the doldrums of the summer, we turn back the clock in an interview with the legendary heckler Robin Ficker, although he objects to that term. Way back on January 25th, in our 'Stan Spittin' episode, we discussed the legacy of the Washington Bullets fan who stood toe to toe with Michael Jordan from his seat behind the visitor's bench. Now the 80 year old Maryland resident joins us on the podcast to share his therapeutic methods, the one player that was immune to his efforts and how David Stern targeted him personally. Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LeBron James has changed his number from 6 to 23 out of respect for Bill Russell in the midst of un-retiring out of respect for Michael Jordan. Joel 'Troel' Embiid had some curious comments at the Uninterrupted Film Festival, is he possibly in an empire state of mind? Victor Wembenyama is deflating his height from 7'5" to 7'3", and he's not the only athlete to do so. You won't want to Skip this segment. Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ballsack Sports has evolved to another level, tricking players into believing their own fake stats. Tom contextualizes Victor Wembenyama's Summer League performance by doing his own research on other star debuts. Jeff Teague has become a storytelling podcaster and Gilbert Arenas put Zion Williamson on the spot about his weight. Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati! On Apple or Spotify Merch: Shirt - Hoodie - Tank - Hat - Beanie Email us: basketballilluminati@gmail.com Twitter: @bballilluminati Instagram: @basketballilluminati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices