Pablo Torre is taking a victory lap for his reporting on the Clippers scandal.
The Pulitzer-winning journalist took aim at ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, for the network’s false reporting that stated the NBA found no wrongdoing in the Clippers investigation.
“All those people on that byline, I know them personally,” Torre said. “They had the ability to see so much that should have made them pause before publishing that. And I will say that they did not reach out to me for comment. I provided a comment afterwards in a discussion with them when the story came out. They did not include that comment.
“Generously, it is something that will haunt them because they did not intend for this. Less generously, it speaks to the question: How did you guys not smell this earlier when I have been doing this for a year? Why did you not trust the journalist, but instead trusted the source that leaked it to you?”
ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr., Baxter Holmes and Ramona Shelburne incorrectly reported the league found no evidence owner Steve Ballmer funneled money to Kawhi Leonard via sponsors. Torre had been reporting the exact opposite on his podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out.
A few weeks later, the NBA released its findings and penalties for the Clippers, which included stripping the team of five first-round picks and a $30 million fine.
ESPN also reported Leonard had no knowledge of the salary cap circumvention, which Torre quickly responded to with a document that the former Clippers star had signed with Aspiration.
There have been several doubters surrounding Torre’s reporting throughout the Clippers saga, but it appears the journalist has been one of few reliable sources regarding the LA organization.
He previously worked for the sports giant from 2012 to 2023, appearing regularly on programs like Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption.
