The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Alley Oop 131: Victor Wembanyama DOMINATES While NBA Gambling Scandal Explodes

Date: October 24, 2025
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, with guests/analysts (Trista Crick and JuJu)
Recording Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

Episode Overview

This episode covers two major fires in the NBA:

• Victor Wembanyama’s jaw-dropping dominance in the season opener
• A rapidly expanding NBA gambling scandal involving coaches and players, including Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier

The hosts’ signature mix of expert basketball breakdowns, humor, and blunt takes delivers an episode that spans everything from on-court heroics to off-court chaos, with memorable digressions on sneaker culture, broadcast graphics, and the mob’s surprising presence in modern sports.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Victor Wembanyama’s Meteoric Performance

Segment: [02:33—07:34]

• Historic Night: Wembanyama puts up 40 points, 15 rebounds, 0 turnovers in just 30 minutes.
• Effortless Dominance:
  • “That was like one of the most effortless 40 point performances I’ve ever seen...whenever Wemby wants to score, he will score. He can get the ball, and then he’ll be at the three point line. And I think it's one step, and he’s dunking on you.” – Trista Crick [04:10]
  • Multiple highlight plays, including a coast-to-coast, “Kevin Durant-like” sequence:
    “Goes coast to coast. Takes it like a guard, takes it like his name is Kevin Durant. Tween. Tween. Step back. And one, sir.” – Trista Crick [06:39]
• Elevating the Spurs: Wemby is making his teammates better, and early chatter about Spurs overdelivering.
• Betting Regrets: “I really should have actually physically bet him to be the points leader of the NBA season, which was yesterday, before that game, 100 to 1 and today is 14 to 1.” – Trista Crick [05:36]

2. Cooper Flagg, Kyrie, & Rookie Point Guard Drama

Segment: [07:34—10:42]

• Flagg Miscast: Jason Kidd starts rookie Cooper Flagg at point guard—
  “That is not his natural position…He needs the ball in specific spots...He’s not a point guard. He’s a 6’7 defensive monster.” – Trista Crick [07:54]
• Team Needs: “They don’t have the cast member that they need, which is Kyrie Irving...it might be a little ugly while Cooper Flagg adjusts.”
• New Balance Sneaker Roast: Flagg’s shoe line gets razzed— “They look like you supposed to cut your grass in these, only you don’t play for real in these.” – JuJu [09:30]
• Fun banter about swaggiest New Balance athletes, Tyrese Maxey, and Cameron Brink.

3. Rookie Breakouts, The Sixers, and Joel Embiid’s Decline

Segment: [10:42—14:29]

• VJ Edgecombe’s arrival:
  • “34 points, 13 for 26, 5 for 13, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal...in a W, by the way, in Boston.” – JuJu [10:42]
  • “I think they won the draft. VJ Edgecombe is really benefiting from a pro style spacing perspective.” – Trista Crick [11:51]
• Joel Embiid’s Woes:
  • “Nor the end piece of the process...Joel Embiid and his knees, bro. Like them rag last knees was looking trash last night, dog.” – JuJu [12:05]
  • “He doesn’t, it’s like he can’t jump over a deck of cards right now, right, bruh?” – Trista Crick [12:35]
• Would you even trade Embiid? “A snack machine? Maybe one with Frito barbecue Fritos in them.” – JuJu [13:48]
• Sixers embracing a youth movement while Embiid’s trade value plummets.

4. Kevin Durant’s Return to OKC & Point Guard Crises

Segment: [15:16—18:31]

• Durant Booed in OKC:
  • “OKC fans, you don’t understand the Constitution. You don’t understand liberty. You don’t understand the Louisiana Purchase. This man is an American hero...He made Oklahoma City cool.” – JuJu [15:25]
  • “I love that he booed back." – Trista Crick [16:40]
• Stat Watch: “The Rockets have played more games for the Oklahoma City Thunder than all of the Oklahoma City Thunder has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder.” – Trista Crick [17:04]
• Point Guard Panic:
  • Both Dallas and Houston have no true point guard; Cooper Flagg and Amen Thompson are both miscast.

5. Marcus Smart’s Laker Arrival & Team Futures

Segment: [19:32—21:25]

• Smart’s Defensive Antics: “He almost pulled Steph Curry, showed out his socket...My boy is back.” – JuJu [19:32]
• Lakers Outlook: “Outside of Luka, it’s a team that...really is a paper tiger. Golden State is...going to win some regular season games, they’re going to do not a lot more than that.” – Trista Crick [20:30]
• Golden State’s possible 4 Seed: “Them Golden State Uncs...they’ll make way more noise than we think. At least the 4 seed.” – JuJu [21:25]

6. EXPLOSIVE NBA Gambling & Organized Crime Scandal

Segment: [22:31—27:40]

• Chauncey Billups Arrested:
  • “Chauncey Jerome Billups has been arrested by the feds for cheating at poker—now, he wasn’t betting on NBA games...Did you see? ...Some reporting is accusing him of alerting gamblers that Damian Lillard was going to be out of games nobody knew he was going to be out of.” – Trista Crick [22:57]
  • “He was like the honey trap...if you wanted to play in this poker game with all these, like, former NBA legends...Apparently, they had X-ray technology where you could see through the cards...and they had like IFBs in their ears or something.” [23:41]
• Mob Ties Exposed: “That’s how you know it’s real when the feds say the Gambino family and La Costra Nostra, all bets are off, bro.” – JuJu [24:50]
• Multiple NBA Figures Implicated: Damon Jones, Terry Rozier—allegedly orchestrating prop-bet under schemes (“bet my unders…those unders hit”).
• Possible permanent bans: “Do you think Terry Rozier plays another second in the NBA after this? ...No. Not a second.” – [26:33]

7. Media Reactions & Breaking the Story

Segment: [27:40—28:33]

• Pablo Torre scoops the story: “Our brother Pablo Torre had this story first, he scooped Shams on this...we gotta keep respect on the boy Pablo’s name...” – JuJu [28:05]
• Shams taking the TV glow, “That’s why they pay me the big bucks, right, to break this stuff.” [28:27]

8. Brief NBA Roundup & Shout Outs

Segment: [28:33—31:41]

• Game Notes: Suns over Kings, Jazz dominate Clippers, Magic beat the Heat (“I think Orlando Magic might be in the Eastern Conference championship this year...against the Knicks.” – JuJu [29:21])
• NBC Broadcast Praise: “Big shout out to our...NBC family. They did a phenomenal job with all the graphics, the slam thing, the Michael Jordan interview where she didn’t say anything at all, but I still was completely entranced. Mike Tirico on the broadcast makes everything better. And shout out to Carmelo Anthony for not getting bullied into wearing a suit.” – Trista Crick [29:45]
• Closing Gratitude: Warm shout-outs to behind-the-scenes staff, and comical fashion props—“give my sister an award for a perfect bow tie on her hoodie today.” – JuJu [30:42]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “That was like one of the most effortless 40 point performances I’ve ever seen.” – Trista Crick on Wemby [04:10]
• “Whenever Wemby wants to score, he will score.” – Trista Crick [04:15]
• “He can’t jump over a deck of cards right now, right bruh?” – Trista Crick on Joel Embiid [12:35]
• “Chauncey Jerome Billups has been arrested by the feds for cheating at poker…” – JuJu [22:57]
• “That’s how you know it’s real when the feds say the Gambino family and La Costra Nostra, all bets are off, bro.” – JuJu [24:50]
• “Do you think Terry Rozier plays another second in the NBA after this? ...No. Not a second.” – [26:53]
• “Without us, what the hell are we? You feel me?” – JuJu, closing [31:47]

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Wemby’s Historic Night: 02:33 – 07:34
• Cooper Flagg Rookie Drama & Sneaker Roast: 07:34 – 10:42
• Sixers Rookies & Embiid’s Decline: 10:42 – 14:29
• Durant OKC Return / Point Guards in Crisis: 15:16 – 18:31
• Marcus Smart Joins Lakers / Team Outlooks: 19:32 – 21:25
• NBA Gambling/Mob Scandal: 22:31 – 27:40
• Media Reporting on Scandal: 27:40 – 28:33
• NBA Roundup & NBC Praise: 28:33 – 31:41

Closing Notes

A wild NBA opening week reflected through sensational highlights (Wemby’s stardom) and sensational headlines (federal raids and mafia involvement). The episode balances basketball Xs and Os with genuine scandal coverage and the distinct Le Batard Show levity and sharp wit. Listeners get both a taste of the future of hoops and the dark complexity of sports betting in the 2020s.

Next episode: Same bat time, same bat channel — Tuesday!