The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Hour 1: "Tony Happens To Know"
Date: October 30, 2025
Location: The Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Episode Overview
This hour, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Chris Cody, and the crew are joined by Pablo Torre for a winding, irreverent, and investigative episode that pivots from lighthearted candy debates to the underbelly of NBA gambling scandals, federal indictments, and questions of accountability. It’s a classic “Le Batard Show” blend of comic banter and surprising journalistic depth, as they dissect Pablo Torre’s latest reporting on “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” highlighting ties between NBA figures and a sprawling federal gambling investigation.
Key Topics & Discussion Points
Candy Takes & Trustworthiness (01:24–04:04)
- Chris Cody recounts meeting someone whose favorite candy is Almond Joy, sparking a debate about candy preference credibility.
- Dan admits he’s never tried Almond Joy, leading to playful ribbing about his unadventurous eating and suspicion of coconut.
- The team contrasts Almond Joy with Mounds and bickers over what counts as a trustworthy favorite candy.
- Memorable Poll Prompts:
- "Can you trust someone who mentions Almond Joy as their favorite?"
- "Do you know anyone who picks Raisinets or Almond Joy as their favorite movie candy?"
“Gooning” Wordplay & Misunderstandings (04:09–05:37)
- Pablo Torre tries to introduce the online concept of “gooning,” sparking comedic confusion and a mock debate about its meaning.
- Dan jokes that as a now-health-conscious food observer rather than eater, he’s turned into a “food gooner”—watching others enjoy what he can’t have.
NBA Scandal Reporting: Pablo Torre’s Deep Dive (07:11–24:20)
Congress Set to Question the NBA (07:54–09:36)
- Pablo Torre (07:54):
“We talked to two Congress people... They actively plan to make Adam Silver testify in front of Congress… what the NBA knew and when they knew it.”
- The crew discusses the potential consequences for the NBA as Congress looks into the Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups-linked gambling and poker game scandals.
The Chauncey Billups & Ty Lue Web (09:48–12:11)
- Pablo details Ty Lue’s proximity to indicted figures, including longtime friend Damon Jones and Chauncey Billups, and lays out a timeline of NBA and poker game intersections.
- Clippers have declined to respond to requests for comment on the story.
Stugotz’s “Tony Happens To Know” Segment (11:37–12:11)
- Stugotz (11:53):
“I have it from incredible sources that Ty Lue is the best gambler in the NBA, hands down. Coaches, players, anything... Ty Lue is the champion.”
[Stugotz’s comedic, folklore-style delivery pokes fun at the show's inside-joke culture about “knowing things.”]
Clarifying “Ensnared” vs. "Adjacent" in Scandal (16:02–17:34)
- Chris Cody and Tony (Tony being off-mic) debate Ty Lue’s involvement—was he "ensnared" or just "adjacent"?
- Pablo Torre (16:18):
“I don’t think he is ensnared, and I don’t think he's adjacent. I think he was present. He was in the room.”
- Ultimately, Pablo suggests Ty Lue is more than adjacent but less than ensnared—a “character witness, perhaps.”
Inside the Scaffold: How Two Scandals Are Linked (21:07–24:20)
- Pablo lays out connections between two parallel federal crackdowns:
- Operation Royal Flush (rigged poker games, with Chauncey Billups as alleged beneficiary)
- Operation Nothing But Bet (NBA betting, with Terry Rozier and others)
- Central figures (“Flappy/Flapper Poker” Amar Awade and “Sugar” Shane Hennin) bridge both, orchestrating betting and poker cons with league-adjacent personalities.
The NBA, the Heat, and Terry Rozier Fallout (24:34–27:40)
- The group reviews fallout from the Rozier investigation—a flagged game, subsequent trade, and questions about the NBA’s ongoing internal probe.
- Pablo Torre (24:50):
“They did not find the smoking gun that would allow them to take action, but they never stopped investigating… If I am the Miami Heat, a question that I have is if your investigation never actually stopped, why did we, the Miami Heat, not know that there was an investigation in the first place?”
Character Portraits and Shady Figures
Sugar Shane Hennin: Central Casting for Crime (35:09–38:48)
- The crew marvels at “Sugar” Shane Hennin: gambler, social media oversharer, pool-hall stabber, government informant, and central figure in both NBA gaming and poker scandals.
- Chris Cody (38:03):
“This dude is living his life to the... You don’t need to tell me anything else about a person than the phrase ‘stabbing dudes in the neck in a pool hall.’”
- Hennin continues to circulate in NBA-adjacent spaces, even courtside, despite being indicted.
The Slippery Definitions of Involvement (31:19–34:05)
- They debate whether someone like Chauncey Billups could have unwittingly been involved (“I just got lucky!” vs. “You’d have to be willfully blind not to notice the fix.”).
- Pablo outlines the weight of evidence collected—texts, group chats, game footage—making “innocent bystander” implausible.
Lighter Moments & Oddball Anecdotes
Dan Le Batard’s Gum Phobia Origin Story (40:40–41:38)
- Dan explains he’s never chewed gum because as a child he touched chewed gum under his desk and was so traumatized he swore off gum for life.
- Dan Le Batard (41:38):
“I was scarred by that. It’s disgusting. Why do people do that? … I’m not eating that. Come on.”
Mob Lingo & La Cosa Nostra Etymology (42:40–44:31)
- The show riffs on the phrase "La Cosa Nostra," how mobsters intentionally kept terms vague to elude law enforcement, and why that phrase persists in pop culture.
Is Pablo Torre in Danger? (44:20–45:37)
- Lighthearted speculation on whether Pablo, digging into NBA and mafia scandals, is in danger—“Has he received any ‘let this one go, kid’ calls?”
- Chris Cody (45:02):
“You don’t know what you’re messing with, boy.”
Notable Quotes & Moments
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 07:54 | Pablo Torre | “They actively plan to make Adam Silver testify in front of Congress... what the NBA knew...”| | 11:53 | Stugotz | “Ty Lue is the best gambler in the NBA, hands down. ... Ty Lue is the champion.” | | 16:18 | Pablo Torre | “I don’t think he is ensnared, and I don’t think he's adjacent. I think he was present.” | | 24:50 | Pablo Torre | “They did not find the smoking gun... but they never stopped investigating.” | | 38:03 | Chris Cody | “You don’t need to tell me anything else... than ‘stabbing dudes in the neck in a pool hall.’”| | 41:38 | Dan Le Batard | “I was scarred by that. It’s disgusting. Why do people do that? … I’m not eating that.” | | 44:49 | Chris Cody | "Tony's basically John Candy at JFK, sweating hard and telling Pablo... you need to let this one go."|
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Candy Trustworthiness & Almond Joy Debate: 01:24–04:04
- Gooning, Food Voyeurism, and Raisinets: 04:09–07:11
- Pablo Torre on Congressional Hearings & NBA Accountability: 07:54–09:36
- Ty Lue, Damon Jones, and Chauncey Billups Network: 09:48–12:11
- "Tony Happens To Know" / Best Gambler Segment: 11:37–12:11
- "Ensnared" vs. "Adjacent" (Chauncey & Ty Lue involvement): 16:02–17:34
- Connecting NBA Betting & Poker Games: 21:07–24:20
- Terry Rozier/NBA/Heat Investigation Fallout: 24:34–27:40
- Deep Dive on "Sugar Shane" Hennin: 35:09–38:48
- Dan’s Gum Aversion Story: 40:40–41:38
- La Cosa Nostra/Etymology Discussion: 42:40–44:31
- Is Pablo in Danger? Lighthearted Paranoia: 44:31–45:37
Episode Tone & Style
The conversation effortlessly swings between sharp investigative reporting (with Pablo Torre’s carefully sourced revelations) and the offbeat, self-mocking, sometimes absurd tangents that define the Le Batard Show. The camaraderie is palpable, with playful mockery, cultural references, and in-jokes underscoring even the most serious subject matter. Listeners unfamiliar with the NBA poker scandal will come away intrigued, and those tuning in for the jokes are never far from a laugh.
Summary for New Listeners
This episode is a quintessential Le Batard mix: funny and odd yet filled with inside information you’ll hear nowhere else. It covers everything from the sincerity of candy preferences, new internet slang, and Dan’s weirdest eating habits to the labyrinthine NBA betting and poker scandals that now intertwine players, coaches, the mafia, Congress, and hapless social-media informants. All of it is unraveled with deep reporting, skepticism, and good-natured mockery, making heavy topics as approachable, weird, and entertaining as ever.