Today, TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott and David Thorpe discuss:

* Don’t you wish it was just about sports? One NBA powerbroker (Ari Emanuel of Endeavor) cut a deal face to face with Vladimir Putin, another (Joe Ravitch of the Raine Group) is helping Kremlin-connected oligarch Roman Abramovich sell Chelsea F.C. right now.

* Endeavor and the Raine Group both reportedly raised a ton of money from the Emirates-based Mubadala Investment Company. Mubadala is also the biggest outside investor in Apollo Global. Apollo Global’s founder, Leon Black, funded Jeffrey Epstein.

* It pays to make the world safe for basketball. The incarcerated Brittney Griner plays for the team in Russia whose previous owner was assassinated.

* Discussed in the show:

* An amazing New Yorker story by Connie Bruck about Ari Emanuel.

* Ukraine is an opportunity for victory, writes Molly McKew.

* TrueHoop is proud to join an incredible list of podcasters to sound the alarm about the state of our democracy—and help find ways for all of us to protect America’s elections and ensure the freedom to vote for every American. See all the other shows and networks taking part, and find out how you can get involved here.

* Amazing basketball is being played! Kevin Durant did classy teammate things. Jayson Tatum both knows and walks the path. Nikola Jokic dominating the league. The open and shut case for LeBron as the GOAT.

* How do you build culture? A trip to the hospital.

RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES:

* March 4, 2022 Time is running out...Part II

* March 4, 2022 Time is running out...Part I

* February 28, 2022 The realities of war...

* February 25, 2022 Who's ready for the stretch run?

* February 21, 2022 Coach Thorpe visits Duke

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truehoop.com/subscribe

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices