The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Local Hour: Pablo Torre Found Out
Date: September 3, 2025
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

Overview

This episode brings the Le Batard team together for their signature blend of South Florida sports talk, irreverent humor, and deep dives into the headlines. The centerpiece is Pablo Torre’s blockbuster investigative story—dropped at 5am—uncovering how the LA Clippers allegedly circumvented NBA salary cap rules through a $28M “no-show” job for Kawhi Leonard, involving a fake tree-planting endorsement. The crew also covers the Dolphins’ upcoming “must-win” game, Miami sports expectations, and a lighthearted exploration of coffee economics and voice modulator hijinks.

Key Discussion Points and Segments

1. Football Frenzy & Local Hype

[03:02 – 09:00]

• The show opens with a tongue-in-cheek “Football! Football!” chant, poking fun at American football fan rituals.
• Greg Cody and Billy argue the Dolphins have a “must-win” season opener against the Colts.
  • Greg’s logic: Dolphins expectations are low; losing to a weak team like the Colts would deflate fan enthusiasm and sabotage the season from the start.
  • Pablo pushes back, noting all NFL games carry the same weight.
  • The group debates the value and meaning of “must-win” in Week 1 (lots of classic rapid-fire banter).
  • Quote:

    “It seems a truly asinine thing to say…”
    —Dan Le Batard (04:12)

• Miami sports fans’ anxieties and expectations are aired, particularly around Tua and the Dolphins’ season trajectory.
• A lively, somewhat confused breakdown of betting lines, home-field advantage, and who’s really favored (Colts or Dolphins).

2. Tyreek Hill: Captain or Not?

[09:00 – 12:30]

• Debate over Tyreek Hill’s absence as a team captain.
  • Greg Cody points out the significance: “Players themselves demoted Tyreek Hill because they were fed up with him...”
  • Others speculate it was Tyreek’s decision as a show of “true leadership.”
  • The crew launches a facetious poll about Dolphins locker room election integrity and Mike McDaniel’s influence.
  • Meme-worthy moment: Discussions spiral into NFL Man of the Year Award satire.
    • Quote:

      “Some people have also said Walter Payton Man of the Year is really the most important trophy. Not the Lombardi.”
      —Pablo Torre (11:53)

3. Coffee Economics & Miami Quirks

[13:00 – 15:08]

• Complaints about rising coffee prices and whether “everyone loves coffee.”
  • Polls are suggested to see if listeners notice the price hike.
  • Pablo highlights the “explosion” of Cuban coffee brick prices, sparking a relatable and amusing Miami-specific gripe session.

4. Pablo Torre's Blockbuster NBA Salary Cap Investigation

[18:53 – 45:04]

The Pablo Torre Drop (Main Segment)

[18:53 – 22:38]

• Dan sets the stage: Pablo’s first collaborative effort with The Athletic and Meadowlark is a massive story—months in the making—centered on the LA Clippers, Steve Ballmer, Kawhi Leonard, and an alleged $28M salary cap circumvention using a fake marketing deal.
  • The team discusses the credibility and weight of Pablo’s reporting, with initial skepticism turning to awe:
    • Quote:

      “I’ll admit I was skeptical… then I see it this morning and it’s a pretty big thing. I think there’s gonna be a lot of trouble with this story…”
      —Zaslow (20:38)

• Speculation on league punishment: Fines, suspensions, or even forced retention of expensive contracts as “punishment.”
  • Quote:

    “The punishment should be: they have to keep Kawhi Leonard.”
    —Zaslow (21:51)

Key Clip from “Pablo Torre Finds Out”

[24:16 – 25:49]

• Pablo interviews a voice-modulated source:
  • The “no-show” job for Kawhi via Aspiration is confirmed as a deliberate salary cap circumvention:

    “A $28 million organic marketing sponsorship deal...to circumvent the salary cap. LOL.”
    —Anonymous Source (24:34)

  • No tangible marketing work was ever seen:

    “The single largest payment...has completely evaded all press. He didn’t have to do anything.”
    —Anonymous Source (25:17)

  • Pablo labels it what it is:

    “Kawhi Leonard got from Aspiration a $28 million no-show job.” (25:31)

Crew Reacts: Ethics, Corporate Complicity, & Media Landscape

[25:49 – 29:00]

• Dan discusses the importance and rarity of thorough sports investigative journalism amidst budget cuts and corporatization.
• Acknowledges how Pablo and Meadowlark fill the void left by programs like ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.”
  • Quote:

    “No one else is doing this in the podcast form in sports.”
    —Dan Le Batard (23:09)

Voice Modulator Hijinks

[29:23 – 36:35]

• The team hilariously tests their in-studio voice modulator technology, with Greg Cody and Stugotz impersonating disguised whistleblowers.
• Playful jabs about Greg’s famed decades-old column proposing a Dan Marino trade, and the difficulties of finding old footage (“Pablo would have found it.”).
• The segment lampoons investigative tropes from serious journalism.

Billy’s Mystery Rant (with Voice Modulation)

[36:35 – 38:48]

• “Billy” (anonymized) riffs on the apathy sports fans might feel toward billionaire rule-breaking:

  “Who cares about this story? Who cares about the Clippers? Who cares about Kawhi Leonard? Who cares about replanting trees? Ridiculous.”
  —Anonymous “Mystery Figure,” (38:48)

The Tree-Planting Scam & Broader Repercussions

[38:48 – 44:08]

• Mike, Dan, and the crew marvel at the audacity of the fake tree-planting ruse:
  • Mock the lack of effort to make it remotely believable (no ads, no events, etc.).
  • Discuss the ease of scamming via “tree planting,” with tongue-in-cheek admiration for the scam’s simplicity.
• Dan reflects on how NBA teams once avoided such brazen cap circumvention.
• Mike believes other billionaire owners must be sweating (“there are some other owners that are getting a little nervous,” 41:04).
• Discussion of historic salary cap scandals in sports, cynicism about corporate rule-breaking, and eventual agreement on the impact Pablo’s story could have in the league.

5. Other Notable Segments & Moments

(Sprinkled Throughout)

• Nostalgic jab at Miami sports: Greg’s Dan Marino-trade column, and the long afterlife of controversial hot takes.
• Running jokes about coffee price inflation, “plain sticks” from Dunkin’ Donuts, and office snack traditions left unfulfilled.
• Light debate about college football rankings and overreactions (FSU’s leap back to the Top 15).

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “It seems a truly asinine thing to say…”
  —Dan Le Batard, on "must-win" Dolphins opener [04:12]

• “Kawhi Leonard got from Aspiration a $28 million no-show job.”
  —Pablo Torre, on the heart of his investigation [25:31]

• “There’s gonna be a lot of trouble with this story…”
  —Zaslow, on the fallout from Pablo’s report [20:38]

• “The punishment should be: they have to keep Kawhi Leonard.”
  —Zaslow, on fitting Clippers’ penalty [21:51]

• “No one else is doing this in the podcast form in sports.”
  —Dan Le Batard, about Meadowlark’s investigative efforts [23:09]

• “Who cares about this story?...Who cares about replanting trees? Ridiculous.”
  —Anonymous “Mystery Figure” (Billy in disguise), on why the scandal might not hit fans hard [38:48]

• “If anything, cheat better. This isn’t even good cheating. You haven’t won shit.”
  —Anonymous “Mystery Figure” [38:32]

Episode Tone & Takeaways

The episode is classic “Local Hour”—equal parts irreverent, fan-centric, deeply informed, and unafraid to lampoon both themselves and the wider world of sports. Pablo Torre’s reporting brings needed gravity and investigative rigor, but the show’s persistent humor—especially around the NBA’s tree-planting “cover-up,” Dolphins’ tortured optimism, and Miami’s coffee woes—keeps things distinctly Le Batard.

Those who missed the episode will leave understanding:

• The gravity and novelty of Pablo Torre's NBA salary cap exposé.
• Why this story may send shockwaves through sports business, yet trigger only cynical shrugs among some fans.
• How the Le Batard crew balances breaking news, local fandom, and comedy in a uniquely Miami style.