Podcast Summary: Pablo Torre Finds Out
Episode: Kyrie, Trump and the Billionaire: Why There's an Actual War Hiding Courtside at the NBA Finals
Host: Pablo Torre
Guest: Elizabeth Weil (New York Magazine)
Date: June 11, 2024
Episode Overview
This episode explores the largely unspoken but deeply consequential nexus between the NBA Finals, global politics, and moneyed influence. Pablo Torre investigates how the Dallas Mavericks' new ownership by billionaire Miriam Adelson—a key figure in American right-wing and pro-Israel politics—intersects with players like Kyrie Irving and broader geopolitical events, especially the Israel-Hamas war and the US presidential election. Special guest Elizabeth Weil, who recently profiled Adelson, joins to unpack the magnitude of Adelson's power and its hidden presence courtside.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Kyrie Irving’s Newfound Media Savvy and Focus
- (00:32-03:38)
- Pablo sets up the contrast: despite prior controversies over conspiracy theories and antisemitic incidents, Kyrie Irving has been "media trained," focusing on basketball and eschewing larger political statements during this NBA Finals run.
- Kyrie Irving quote (02:04):
“A lot of stuff is going on in this world, and basketball is just not the most important thing to me right now... I feel it, I'm very compassionate.”
- Pablo observes that Kyrie’s discretion is strategic, intent on keeping the focus on the game amidst a fraught political climate.
2. The Overlooked Story: Ownership Shift to Miriam Adelson
- (03:38-08:01)
- Despite Mark Cuban's high profile, he sold the Mavericks to Miriam Adelson for $3.5 billion. However, because of her political notoriety, the NBA required her son-in-law (Patrick Dumont) to be the public governor.
- Miriam Adelson is now the third richest owner in US sports and a fiercely influential right-wing donor—but, remarkably, sports media has almost entirely ignored her background.
3. Who Is Miriam Adelson? A Portrait of Discrete Power
- (08:01-14:44)
- Elizabeth Weil:
“She's the most powerful person that hardly anybody has heard of.” (08:01)
- Adelson’s low profile is by design, avoiding publicity despite outsized influence in politics, philanthropy, and now sports.
- Sheldon Adelson’s biography: from poor Boston roots to casino mogul (Las Vegas, Macau), amassing vast wealth and wielding it not for celebrity but for political and ideological aims.
- Elizabeth Weil:
4. Power, Ideology, and the Israel Lobby
- (14:44-18:18)
- Miriam, an Israeli doctor whose family perished in the Holocaust, focused intensely on the security of Israel. Both Adelsons have pushed far-right Israeli politics, notably supporting Netanyahu and launching the pro-Netanyahu newspaper Israel Hayom.
- Weil:
“[Miriam] would like the US to back Israel in annexing the West Bank... that's as right as it gets.” (16:26)
- Together, the Adelsons used their US political donations (often totaling $300 million+) to exert direct influence on both Israel and the GOP.
5. The Adelsons, Trump, and Buying Policy
- (18:18-26:03)
- The Adelsons’ donations gave them near-head-of-state access and influence: they shaped not just party platforms but US foreign policy toward Israel.
- Weil:
“We live in a world where if you give that much money, you have that much influence.” (19:06)
- They famously pushed for, and got, the US embassy moved to Jerusalem—culminating in Miriam receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- But behind these moves—human cost: 58 Palestinians killed during protests around the embassy move, unmentioned in the lavish pro-Israel celebrations.
6. October 7 and Its Aftermath: An Ideological Call to Arms
- (26:03-28:12)
- The Hamas attack on Israel resonated as an existential crisis for Miriam, further hardening her hawkish stance.
- Weil:
“If you were born into that, October 7th was so triggering... If you actually believe this is an existential crisis... you do whatever it takes.” (26:12)
7. Why Buy the Mavericks? Casino Ambitions, Political Power, and Soft Influence
- (28:12-31:37)
- The acquisition is primarily a gateway for legalizing casino gambling in Texas.
- Weil:
“The real play here has always to bring gambling to Texas... Buying the team gets you a tremendous amount of political capital.” (28:12)
- It’s also "brilliant investment" in cultural cachet for Adelson, who can now "sit courtside" and gain mainstream acceptance—distinct from her polarizing politics.
8. Coalition Building: Strange Bedfellows Courtside
- (31:37-34:46)
- Miriam courts unlikely alliances, addressing a Texas business policy conference and aligning with evangelical Zionists.
- Pablo and Weil note how ostensible opposites—Kyrie (publicly pro-Gaza/antiwar), Miriam (pro-Israel hawk), Adam Silver (left-leaning NBA commissioner), and Mark Cuban (anti-Trump)—now coexist in a moment and space defined by self-interest over ideology.
9. Miriam Adelson’s Ongoing Influence on US Politics and the NBA Finals Moment
- (34:46-38:37)
- Despite a lull after Sheldon’s death, Miriam has now announced $100 million in support for Trump for 2024, rallying right-wing billionaires post-Trump’s conviction.
- Weil:
“Adelson’s super PAC is called Preserve America... There’s nothing even about Trump. It is just anti-Biden.” (36:01)
- The Israel lobby is compared to the NRA—the ability to “part public policy from public opinion,” controlling outcomes through sheer monetary force.
10. The Deep Irony at the NBA Finals
- (40:51-42:32)
- Pablo paints an almost surreal finals stage:
- Miriam Adelson, NBA owner and Trump’s key sponsor
- Adam Silver, who privately did not want her as public face of the team
- Kyrie Irving, with a checkered history of antisemitic remarks but currently vocal about Palestinian rights
- Mark Cuban, still involved, stridently anti-Trump
- Torre:
“All of them…forming a truly unthinkable coalition…who have come together under a common self interest at the very time in world history when that specific diplomacy seems unlikely.” (41:56)
- Pablo paints an almost surreal finals stage:
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Elizabeth Weil on Adelson's Influence (00:06, 38:37):
“If you are giving that much money, you have that much power, and you shape policy.”
- Sheldon Adelson’s self-mythology (12:41):
“Think about that… there’s 6,999,990,000 people that are not at my level.”
- Pablo Torre on NBA’s Conspicuous Silence (43:07):
“Everybody that I've mentioned has pretty much all shut up and dribbled, mainstreaming the image of Miriam Adelson and partying with her courtside, laundering her extremism to the world.”
- Miriam Adelson at Texas Business Policy Conference (30:34):
“Like Texans, Israel sticks to their guns and stand up for their principles and don't give a damn if that means standing alone.”
- On the message of Preserve America PAC (36:01):
“There’s nothing even about Trump. It is just anti-Biden.”
- Elizabeth Weil reflecting on the NBA Finals scene (42:07):
“In one sense you can say it’s beautiful… in another sense your head just wants to explode.”
Key Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:32 — Introduction to the episode's central question and Kyrie Irving’s “media-trained” Finals presence
- 03:38 — Mavericks’ ownership change: from Cuban to Adelson, and NBA’s concern
- 08:01 — Elizabeth Weil on why Miriam Adelson is hyper-influential but largely unknown
- 09:52 — Sheldon Adelson’s rise to power and wealth
- 14:44 — Miriam’s ideological formation and role in Israeli politics
- 18:18 — Impact of Adelson political donations on US/Israel policy, especially under Trump
- 23:09-25:06 — The consequences of moving US Embassy to Jerusalem
- 26:12 — October 7’s psychological and political impact on Miriam Adelson
- 28:12 — Strategic reasons for Mavericks purchase: gambling, PR, Texas power
- 30:34 — Miriam’s rare public speech in Texas, bridging political/ethnic divides for power
- 34:46 — Adelson’s revived Trump donations in 2024, shifting influence
- 37:51 — Israel lobby compared to the NRA: leveraging money for policy over public will
- 40:51-41:56 — Tableau of the NBA Finals: the new courtside coalition at the nexus of sports and world events
Conclusion & Takeaways
Pablo Torre and Elizabeth Weil expose how the NBA Finals and Dallas Mavericks are at the center of a “hidden war”—not between teams, but over money, power, and geopolitical influence. From the courtside, billionaire political operators like Miriam Adelson (with deep, controversial links to both Trump and Netanyahu) now shape narratives and policies far beyond sports. The episode leaves listeners with a profound image: a league and a Finals-spotlighted coalition of figures (Adelson, Irving, Cuban, Silver) whose interests, conflicts, and silent alliances reflect not only shifting fortunes in basketball but also the quiet, relentless force of power in American and world politics.