A superstar held up by the salary cap. A billionaire under the microscope. A league inquiry hidden from public view. De Smith has seen this playbook for punishment before. The former NFL union boss — and white-shoe law-firm investigator — returns to answer questions the NBA still won't: Who is "independent" when the league (and Steve Ballmer, in particular) pays the legal bill? Why would witnesses participate if they face potential criminal exposure? How do unions play the long game? And what obligation does a league have to its fans, if cheating can be the baseline?

• Read "Turf Wars" by DeMaurice Smith

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking-news updates on Kawhi-Gate

• Previously on PTFO: The Man Who (Relentlessly) Sued the NFL Has Receipts

(Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.