Basketball Illuminati

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...

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 se...

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 -...

Free Agency is underway, complete with a splash of Trade Demands to keep things interesting. Read these reports with a cautious third eye, Illumination, in order to parse the true machinations at play. Does your favorite news breaker have a rewards program depending on how many miles their sources accrue? We break down all the loyalty tiers. A new Amateur NBA Analyst also threw his hat into the ri...

Victor Wembenyama has a direct line to the Universe thanks to a wide open third eye. Brandon Miller is a Hornet after some buzz moved the betting lines, and Fat Joe really wants us to know he likes Dick from Kansas. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports returns as Truth Teller to give us the inside track on the upcoming free agent frenzy, teams afraid of the second apron and Dame scenarios. Subscribe to Ba...

Last Friday's news dump going into the weekend included a 25 game suspension for Ja Morant and the finalized sale of the Charlotte Hornets. The Bartelstein family celebrated Father's Day in a very public way this year as Bradley Beal was traded to Phoenix, while a shadow GM is taking the Suns in a different direction. Brandon Payne of Accelerate Basketball returns to the program to give us the sco...

Ja and Zion, the crown jewels of the 2019 draft, have been attracting attention off the court for all the wrong reasons. Is that draft cursed? What about 2nd overall picks? Denver has climbed to the mountaintop due to Nikola Jokic's workmanlike effort, as the Heat sink back to sea level and a summer of Damian Lillard rumors. Tom did his own research on Wake Forest journeyman and folk hero Ish Smit...

Kyrie Irving is hitting the recruiting trail, trying to lure LeBron to join him and Luka in Dallas, but if you've had your third eye open for a while, you already knew that. Amin continues to search for the mythical Jokic brothers and the Illumination Loves the adjustments the Heat have made so far in this series. Finally, take a trip to Research Town, where Tom digs into Erik Spoelstra's comments...

The Finals are here, the Heat made history that the Celtics fell just short of, and there's a mysterious blackout at the new LeBatard Show HQ. Is it all connected? Bob Myers tenure in Golden State has come to an end, albeit a month earlier than anticipated. What's next for the championship architect, and who will fill the void in his absence? Finally, a Truth Teller emerges to share with us how he...

A script for this year's NBA playoffs got leaked onto the internet... Or was that all simply part of the script? Victor Wembenyama is headed to San Antonio, just as the Illuminarmy Generals predicted, as we take you through the eurosteps that led Wemby to the Spurs. Tom did his own research on Jimmy Butler's flagrant disregard for technical fouls, while Rudy Gobert has returned from the darkness....

The Warriors and 76ers have entered the offseason in spectacular fashion, as James Harden and Doc Rivers add to their legacies of losing. Doc got fired for his troubles, along with seven other coaches this season, and not only do we know the replacement, but Amin has an Inconvenient Truth about the association Tim 'Banned' MacMahon joins the program with his signature theme song to discuss Ja Mora...

There is a corgi out there predicting that the Warriors will come back from a 3-1 deficit against the Lakers, and the Illuminati are worried about containing it's burgeoning third eye abilities. Mat Ishbia, the steward of the community asset that is the Phoenix Suns, found himself in a controversial spotlight after an encounter with Nikola Jokic on Sunday. After some peculiar comments by Jalen Ros...

It's time to pat ourselves on the back for predicting that Knicks-Heat VI would take center stage on ABC during the second round. The Illuminati explore the history of trading everything but the kitchen sink for a star player and determine who is responsible for this trendy trade technique. Tom did his own research on one of every seed, 1 through 8, advancing in the playoffs, something that has ne...

One day after we shed light on the Tony Brothers / Spencer Dinwiddie situation, they shared the court in Brooklyn for a game full of ejections. This year's first round of the playoffs has provided us with a litany of surprising series, and the Illuminarmy Generals reveal which is the rarest of them all. Amin has found the solution to the NBA's ratings woes, D'Angelo Russel has a special drink, and...

I don't know if you heard, but Draymond Green is back at it again with the flailing limbs. The Athletic has a new player poll with some rather interesting results for best and worst fans, most underrated player and most importantly greatest player of all time (that includes one vote for Tracy McGrady). Then Tom finally gets back to doing what he does best: his own research! And he brings in wonder...

We tried to tell you last week about the Mavericks tanking and Gobert's angst, but it was so obvious that we didn't know how deep the Rudy rabbit hole was going to go. The Illumination has no intent to injure Rudy in a week where he is suspended while hurt. MVP Tracker Max Croes joins the program to explain how he scours the media for data to connect the dots on who people are voting for in the ma...

Rudy Gobert is starting to get really frustrated, and we get it. It's so obvious that Minnesota is not getting the respect they deserve. Less than two months after acquiring Kyrie Irving, the Dallas Mavericks are on the brink of shutting it down for the season to preserve their top ten protected 2023 draft pick. Truth Teller Keith Smith of Spotrac joins the program to help us parse the new Collect...

Bradley Beal got into an altercation with an angry gambler and Tom has to clarify his aggregated statements from last week in regards to Ben Taylor. Everyone is being cryptic about the alleged 'LeBron James of Feet', so the Illuminarmy deploys their expert codebreakers to find the identity of this mystery doctor. Investment fraud attorney Chase Carlson joins the program as a Truth Teller to discus...

Mario Chalmers is back making waves in the news by telling everyone not to be afraid of the Big Bad Bron, and certain politician has his back. Michael Jordan is engaged in serious talks to sell his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets. What does this mean for their chances in the Wembanyama lottery? Chris Herring of Sports Illustrated joins the program to navigate the thorny waters of the Ja Mo...

The NBA officially announced a partnership with Hawk-Eye Innovations, but citizens of the Illumination knew this was coming months ago. Ja Morant and Andrew Wiggins are superstars without a timetable to return, a nebulous designation that keeps us guessing, while Kyrie Irving has exited the lineup and resurfaced on Twitch. Truth Teller Don Vaden of Third Side Coaching rejoins the program to help u...

LeBron had a dream, Giannis pulled a Ricky Davis and BING BONG the Knicks are running New York City again. Sports Scientist Lorena Torres of You First joins the program to discuss prioritizing player performance when it comes to load management. Tom finally gets back to doing his own research into the supporting casts of MVP winning players to address the contrived controversy surrounding Nikola J...

Jason Tatum earns his Illuminarmy Stripes after acknowledging the existence of the Conservation of Fouls. Before LeBron's ankle went pop, he sowed seeds of discontent in Dallas between Jason Kidd and his immature savior Luka Doncic. Damian Lillard joined Donovan Mitchell in the 71 club, prompting an investigation into the correlation between this season's scoring boom, the increased pace of play,...

Happy Birthday Illumination! Hopefully your third eyes were open during the All Star Draft, because LeBron James shared a glimpse of his future plans. Oh, how the mighty have fallen as former UCLA teammates, max contract players and All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love hit the buyout market. What kind of impact will they have on their new teams? Then Truth Teller extraordinaire Rachel Nichol...

Despite eulogizing him on last week's episode, Kyrie Irving is back and spouting off witticisms at furious pace in Dallas. The rest of the trade deadline provided plenty of exciting developments, whether it be Suns' new owner Mat Ishbia emptying the coffers for Kevin Durant or the Lakers banishing a 'vampire' in Russell Westbrook. Finally, the All Star Game is rapidly approaching, and we break the...

The Illumination mourns the passing of Kyrie Irving's tenure in Brooklyn, but thankfully, not all those that wander are lost. LeBron James might be taking the trade a bit personally, but it won't interfere with his quest to break the scoring record. With the Trade Deadline looming, a double dose of Truth Tellers answer the call to discuss trades past, present, and yet to come. Jake Fischer of Yaho...