Has the media establishment become so politicized that it won't let a beat reporter be human? What does "maybe" mean in the proxy fight for Warner Bros.? And did old white men change the trajectory of baseball... because they don't know how to use the internet? A shockingly woke David Samson and a Pam Bondi'd John Skipper join Pablo to test the limits of truth, screwing and their fiduciary duty.

Further content:

• "The Liam Coen-Lynn Jones Moment, the Backlash and Why Journalism Is Still Worth Defending" (David Aldridge)

• "Merger Math: Paramount Suit Wants WBD To Show Its Work" (Jill Goldsmith)

• "Disney Invests $1 Billion in MLB's Streaming Business, BAMTech" (2016)

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He is a god of Google Maps — an internet legend for matching a single image with a far-flung location, in the blink of an eye. But Trevor Rainbolt never wanted to be an influencer. And for a while there, he'd never even left the United States. The 27-year-old college dropout who helped us find Bill Belichick's Ring camera finally links up with Pablo to tell the sports origin story of a modern creator — from Steph Curry meme lord and KD DMs to Travis Kelce matchmaker and alleged CIA agent — while opening his aperture to the world he's been studying... then accepting a special assignment.

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What do Darryl Strawberry, NBA YoungBoy and a plastic-surgery "slush fund" have in common? They're all beneficiaries of the president's cottage industry to sell access, buy freedom and redefine the meaning of crime. We explore an exclusive social network of dustbin characters, including a heavenly visit with Mel Gibson and Pete Rose.

• Subscribe to "TrueAnon" with Brace Belden

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As the NBA's investigation heats up, Pablo goes behind closed doors — and emerges with fresh sunlight: What exactly did the Clippers know about Kawhi Leonard's no-show deal? When did Steve Ballmer really get to know the fraudster who paid him off? And what do Doc Rivers, the Ritz-Carlton and a topless fashion shoot have to do with the origin story of a "match made in heaven" that the richest owner in sports would rather you ignore? Amin Elhassan and David Samson shake their heads, as we fact-check a timeline that the Clippers want you to believe.

Previously on PTFO:

• Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree

• Part II: An Argument with Mark Cuban

• Part III: The Mystery Investor, the No-Show Payday and the "Smoking Gun"

• Part IV: Steve Ballmer, the Other Cuban and the $118 Million Infusion

• Part V: Steve Ballmer's "Inconceivable" Donation, the $20 Million Guarantee and a Head on a Spike

• Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban

• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites

• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"

• Subscribe to "Basketball Illuminati" with Amin Elhassan

(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.)

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Everyone complains about cellphones. But there's something bigger and more insidious going on, from football teams and Netflix shows to law schools and Instagram. So philosopher C. Thi Nguyen offers some gamified advice for 2026, to plug the downside of data into the upside of your mind: Metrics help you win at work, but can you free yourself from the algo? Hyper-optimization has changed the NBA, but what about your kitchen? We've handed over complexity for competition, but is there time to steal back our humanity from A.I.? Plus: punk points, art governments, sore losers at Twister, a context-invariant kernel... and The Meat Sack.

• Read "The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game" by C. Thi Nguyen

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Did Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone blow the 1998 NBA Finals by promoting their pro-wrestling match... on the court?! Should there be an asterisk?! Is it time for Michael Jordan to relinquish the throne?! Correspondent Neil Punsalan enters a sports marketing wormhole to present Pablo with a box full of evidence, grill eyewitnesses and put to rest — once and for all — if The Mailman always rings twice.

(This episode originally aired June 6, 2025.)

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He raps, cooks, paints, hosts and acts (for Martin Scorsese, at least). He also has philosophical explanations for why A) he never wears pants, B) his go-to move is the headbutt and C) nothing is better than a VHS tape. But Action Bronson had still never heard of the Accidental Bronson tribute account. Until this episode.

(This episode originally aired November 10, 2023.)

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LeBron called him the smartest hooper alive. Coach K called him an alien. Obama called him for a Hall-of-Fame pickup game (and a historic BBQ). But two-time NBA champion Shane Battier has been measuring the immeasurable inflection points of his career all along — from growing up "mixed, tall and poor"; to puking at Duke, guarding Kobe and witnessing LeBron's GOAT-defining game; to failing at ESPN and building a cabinet of relationships… including his therapist. Pablo cracks open the brain of the legend known as Lego, to find out if he really is human after all. Plus: Patrennessy, Laptop magazine and karaoke. Lots of karaoke.

(This episode originally aired June 5, 2025.)

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Under-recruited running back from a collapsed American city — with a single mom and a dream — wins the Super Bowl. Sounds familiar, right? But NFL coach Deland McCullough's story, as told through his book with Sarah Spain, has a twist all its own. (Thanks to a little help from Sir Mix-a-Lot.)

(This episode originally aired May 27, 2025.)

• Read "Runs in the Family"

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