Basketball Illuminati

The Illuminati were forced to bust a conspiracy over the weekend when a reddit post highlighting Jaren Jackson Jr's peculiar home/road splits spread like wildfire. The officials made a gut-wrenching mistake on Saturday night, which will weigh heavily and cause sleepless nights for everyone involved, but was Eric Lewis the right target for Laker fans ire? Finally we are joined by Truth Teller Nate...

After months of rumblings and speculation, the Lakers have finally pulled the trigger on a deal... For Rui Hachimura. Shannon Sharpe's court-side antics attracted a lot of attention, inspiring the Illuminati to reflect on the greatest heckler in NBA history. Finally we are joined by Dr. Marcus Elliot, founder and director of the Peak Performance Project, to audit Stan Van Gundy's thoughts on "perf...

As LeBron James closes in on Kareem Abdul Jabbar's scoring record, the Illuminati assess the validity of his latest insinuations of collusion by officials against the Lakers. News reports emerging from the Atlanta Hawks organization indicate a growing state of unrest due to the nepotistic shadow puppet regime pulling the strings. CJ McCollum offers up a cryptic comment about the Toronto Raptors on...

It's a very exciting week here in the Illumination, as our advance scouts have reported a game changing upcoming shift in the video tracking technology that powers the NBA. Before we can dive into all the compelling details and possibilities, Amin takes you behind the curtain of the numerology that guided his laser accurate Geno Smith prediction. Does Kevin Durant's injury spell doom for the resur...

Kyrie Irving's connection the number eleven has been called to the Illuminati's attention for further inspection, and whether his affinity for the number outweighs that of Klay Thompson. Donovan Mitchell's explosive seventy one point evening is indicative of a burgeoning scoring trend in the association, thanks to influences far beyond Mitchell himself. The Ghost of Christmas Future brought James...

Eddie House is trading slaps with the Orlando Magic and Patrick Beverley tells Chris Paul he's too small... while down 20 plus points. As the Illuminati kick off the Agenda, breaking news strikes yet again regarding the sale of the Phoenix Suns to former Michigan State Spartan Mat Ishbia for $4 billion. How will this valuation affect the looming CBA negotiations? And finally, Truth Teller Zach Har...

Mas Miami was a roaring success! The Illumination came out in full force and a new one star General has enlisted in the Illuminarmy. The NBA has unveiled six newly designed trophies named after NBA legends, including the new Clutch Player of the Year, and something isn't quite right with the new MVP statue. Rudy Gobert and Zion Williamson have allegedly broken the unwritten rules of the NBA, incit...

Imposters, fakers and con artists -- oh my! To combat the widespread disinformation campaigns, this week's episode is holding everyone accountable. Millions are duped by Stephen Curry video, even though all the warning signs were there. Speaking of Curry, Illuminarmy general Amin Elhassan gets interrogated by his comrades about his presence at the Golden State Warriors loss thanks to a controversi...

Citizens of the Illumination! You've probably noticed all the bread crumbs scattered across the NBA. Open your third eye and follow them as we uncover the truth behind the Lakers-Pacers walk-off ... or should we say, standoff. What's happening in mid-January? As LeBron James battles through injuries, we bring on three-time Truth Teller and injury expert Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com to reveal...

The Conservation of Points has struck again, this time in the same game as Luka Doncic had his three points taken away and given to his Slovenian counterpart Vlatko Cancar. Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Giannis found out that free throws aren't free when he is intimidated postgame by the vicious duo of Montrezl Harrell and a ladder. Finally, the Illuminati have noticed an increase in traveling violat...

The Illumination's borders knows no bounds -- and live from an undisclosed location, it's the Basketball Illuminati podcast. After the Illumination accepts another high-profile citizen, we untangle the numerology of the NBA's unprecedented scoring spree. 59, 51, 47 from 30, what does it all mean? To help decipher Stephen Curry's scoring rampage, we welcome his long-time trainer Brandon Payne of Ac...

Kyrie Irving has been assigned a six part checklist before he can return to the Nets, a new initiative we at Basketball Illuminati have labeled The D.U.N.C.E. System: Demonstrate Understanding of Nuanced Complex Endorsements. We summon Truth Teller Ethan Sherwood Strauss to elucidate how the player empowerment era has led us to this point. Subscribe to Ethan's Substack: https://houseofstrauss.subs...

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and for Basketball Illuminati, six days was too long for the Kyrie Irving debacle to maintain it's grasp on the news cycle. Breaking news sends shockwaves across the Illumination as Steve Nash is out, Ime Udoka is in, and the Brooklyn Nets have put out a fire with... more fire? Also, Myles Turner is asked about whether or not he should be traded f...

Be cautious, Illumination. These early season records are not what they seem. Except for the Lakers, they're going to continue to have issues unless they find a creative way out of the Russell Westbrook Category. Truth Teller Babak Somekh joins the program to discuss the paper he co-wrote with Paolo Falco and Mauro Caselli titled 'Inside the NBA Bubble: How Black Players Performed Better without F...

The Basketball Illuminati generals react to the NBA's Opening Night festivities and Russell Westbrook's recent comments. On the Agenda, we explore the implications of the Golden State Warriors' recent extensions as it pertains to the futures of their bank account and a particular mercurial linchpin, as well as informing the Illumination why Jordan Poole's contract was reported to be $140 million i...

The Illuminarmy generals have been dispatched to get to the bottom of PunchGate and LeakGate in Golden State. To the naked third eye, could this actually help the Warriors in the long run? It's time to revisit some of the most notorious intra-squad scuffles in recent NBA history. Then we are joined by Truth Teller, dad hat ambassador and senior alien correspondent Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports to...

It's time to wake up, Illumination. Preseason action is here, and Return SZN is in full bloom, with Ben Simmons, Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back on the court. Next on the docket, an investigation into the latest Lakers drama involving LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as we offer an explanation as to why LeBron's response was so brief. Finally, Tom Does His Own Research...

The Illuminati takes stock of the onslaught of Media Day content and try to ascertain just how much weight has been gained or lost this offseason. In order to fully understand the Ime Udoka scandal, you need to hear the story within the story from this week's Truth Teller, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of House of Strauss, who unpacks what the Worldwide Leader said in the wake of the news -- and more imp...

With the news that Robert Sarver is selling the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, the Illuminarmy generals get back in the trenches and deliver a bonus episode for the soldiers out there. We have an exclusive Truth-Teller interview with former Suns employee David Bodzin, one of the whistleblowers in the Sarver scandal, who opens some eyes about his incident with Sarver, how it was handled by his bosses an...

The Illuminati are eager to see how the Dennis Schröder signing impacts Russell Westbrook and his role in Los Angeles. Meanwhile in the desert, the palace intrigue of the Phoenix Suns continues to unravel as the Robert Sarver fallout deepens. Who is Jahm Najafi and why are Colin Kaepernick and Larry Fitzgerald involved? Not satisfied, we consult with Truth Teller Domonique Foxworth of ESPN, who le...

While the Illuminati can't help but acknowledge the EuroBasket legend that is Gianmarco Pozzecco, there are more pressing, important matters to discuss. First, we parse through the NBA's 40-page report on the investigation into Suns/Mercury governor Robert Sarver to discover why the punishment was so lenient, allowing him to maintain ownership of the team. Then we are joined by Truth Teller Matt S...

The Donovan Mitchell saga has reached its next chapter, as he's headed out of Utah in a blockbuster trade with... the Cleveland Cavaliers?!? What does the inability to poach a superstar mean for Leon Rose and the CAA Knicks? And who's really negotiating these deals for various teams around the league? Sean Patrick Griffin returns to the Illuminati to dissect Untold: Operation Flagrant Foul, the Ne...

While the Illuminati continue to deliberate the new Tim Donaghy documentary on Netflix, some eyes need to be opened regarding RJ Barrett's surprising, poisonous extension with the New York Knicks. We break the code on what the reporting means for the Knicks brass and how it affects the purloining of Donovan Mitchell from the Jazz. Then we seek counsel from Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes, the grim...

The Illuminarmy generals react to The Boardroom -- sorry -- KD news that dropped on Tuesday and what it means for Third Eye Kai's partnership with Brooklyn. Amin connects the dots for the listeners and explains why Udonis Haslem's signing foretold the groundbreaking renewal of vows. Speaking of groundbreaking, with the new Tim Donaghy doc coming out on Netflix, we spoke to Donaghy expert, Gaming T...

This week, we explain the NBA schedule being leaked before it was released and what the Christmas Day lineup really signifies. Shortly after our Tamper Tantrum episode, Bronaldinho James is dominating the airwaves again, dunking on the entire city of Paris. Tom Does Some More Research on his lack of college offers. On the two-year anniversary of the greatest scoring display in playoff history, we...