WEBVTT - Phoenix Suns CEO Under Fire

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<v Speaker 1>Guess what, Phoenix Suns fans, If you thought that the

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<v Speaker 1>Robert Sarver drama and him getting kicked to the curb

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<v Speaker 1>was the end of all of the off court toxicity,

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<v Speaker 1>guess again, Because when Baxter Holmes, the guy who writes

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<v Speaker 1>four articles a year, comes sniffing around your organization, shit's

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<v Speaker 1>about to go left. And Baxter Holmes put out another

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<v Speaker 1>bombshell piece on the Phoenix Suns to day, and you

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<v Speaker 1>know what, It's not good. It is damning. According to

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<v Speaker 1>the NBA's own investigation of Robert Sarver, many current and

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<v Speaker 1>former executives and employees told investigators that they believe Sarver's

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<v Speaker 1>conduct had a trickle down effect, that he behaved poorly

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<v Speaker 1>towards his direct reports, and those reports in turn found

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<v Speaker 1>that they had felt that they had license to mistreat

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<v Speaker 1>their own reports. The trickle down of toxicity it continues.

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<v Speaker 1>Our investigation finds instances in which certain Sons executives yelled

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<v Speaker 1>at and subjected their colleagues to embarrassment, humiliation, and intimidation

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<v Speaker 1>in the workplace, including conduct that constitutes bullying under the

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<v Speaker 1>Sun's workplace policy. Oh boy, not shockingly, a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>this abusive behavior seems to be of seems to be

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<v Speaker 1>leveled at women. Yeah. One female employee told the investigators quote,

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<v Speaker 1>I remember when all this stuff came out about Robert

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<v Speaker 1>and I thought, finally, but one. Are the others going

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<v Speaker 1>to be held accountable to the main culprit appears to

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<v Speaker 1>be high level executives, including CEO Jason Rowley, While Raleigh

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<v Speaker 1>says more punishment will be coming for those who are

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<v Speaker 1>responsible in this atmosphere of abuse. One former employee was like, Yo,

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<v Speaker 1>you're gonna fire yourself or what like? Ause, it's you, my,

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<v Speaker 1>it's you. And Rally is a guy mind you that.

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<v Speaker 1>The report says he once berated a pregnant female executive

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<v Speaker 1>who had the balls to question the reporting structure of

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<v Speaker 1>the SUNS by just straight up screaming at her, Who

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<v Speaker 1>the fuck do you think you are? Who the fuck

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<v Speaker 1>are you to question the reporting structure? If I tell

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<v Speaker 1>you to report to someone, you fucking report to them.

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<v Speaker 1>The ESPN article indicates that the woman was then iced out,

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<v Speaker 1>hassled over her maternity leave, and then she was fired

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<v Speaker 1>when she returned to work from said maternity leave. I

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<v Speaker 1>think that's against the law. I'm pretty sure that's it's

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<v Speaker 1>against some labor laws. It stated, quote, male team executives

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<v Speaker 1>try to terminate the female employee while she was on leave,

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<v Speaker 1>but the female's uh, the employee's female supervisor actually persuaded

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<v Speaker 1>them to wait until the employee returned to work to

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<v Speaker 1>then eliminate her physician. Who was this male executive that

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<v Speaker 1>tried to get her fired and then later fired her, Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>CEO Jason Rowley. This is nuts, Like the entire report

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<v Speaker 1>is somehow, some way more damning than the actual stuff

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<v Speaker 1>about Robert Sarver alone. Fucking executives were just blatantly harassing

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<v Speaker 1>and bullying and intimidating employees pretty much everywhere, allowing sexual

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<v Speaker 1>harassment from team sponsors, forcing multiple pregnant women and new

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<v Speaker 1>moms to quit. They just hated pregnant women. I don't think,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, no one hated pregnant women more than the

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<v Speaker 1>phoenix Suns brought for an office. They were like yo.

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<v Speaker 1>It was so bad that the investigation concluded the Son's

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<v Speaker 1>organization has been a difficult place for women to work,

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<v Speaker 1>particularly if they have young children, and that Sons executives

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<v Speaker 1>have on occasion treated female employees differently because of their

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<v Speaker 1>gender and their pregnant and see what is the solution

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<v Speaker 1>in Phoenix? I mean they got it all go everything,

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<v Speaker 1>blow it all up, get them all gone, every single

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<v Speaker 1>last one of them. Every high ranking executive who worked

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<v Speaker 1>during the Sarva era has to retire. You have to go.

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<v Speaker 1>No golden parachute for you, deuces for you, see you later,

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<v Speaker 1>have a nice life, go away. You can't build a

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<v Speaker 1>better organization. You can't buy the Phoenix Suns and have

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<v Speaker 1>these fucking assholes still in the building doing the same thing.

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<v Speaker 1>That is just like changing ownership. And so the shit

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<v Speaker 1>cloud that has hung over the Suns all year has

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<v Speaker 1>not gone away. It is only becoming apparent that it

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't just one cloud. It was pretty much the entire sky.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's play a little game. I am an NBA franchise.

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<v Speaker 1>Who am I? I am currently the hottest team in

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<v Speaker 1>the NBA right now at the moment, I've won seven

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<v Speaker 1>games in a row. I have the second best record

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<v Speaker 1>on the road in the entire NBA at ten and six.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm playing currently at a six sixty six clip within

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<v Speaker 1>my own conference. My star player has been completely maligned

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<v Speaker 1>this year, but has been hot as fuck, averaging twenty

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<v Speaker 1>one eleven and four. My young star, who they locked

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<v Speaker 1>up to a big extension in the offseason, who has

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<v Speaker 1>been terrible all year, is playing twenty two, six and

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<v Speaker 1>two over the last seven games, somehow shaking off all

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<v Speaker 1>of that dust and disrespect. My coach, who's been largely

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<v Speaker 1>considered to be on the hot seat, now stands in

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<v Speaker 1>fifth place. Who am I? Who am I? I am

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<v Speaker 1>the New York fucking Knicks. If you can believe that,

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<v Speaker 1>are you serious? No one's talking about the Knicks right now.

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't even believe these stats. I couldn't even belie

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<v Speaker 1>believe that they were the hottest currently the hottest team

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<v Speaker 1>in the NBA. From dead in the water at ten

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<v Speaker 1>and thirteen, people saying Tibbs was gonna be fired, rising

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<v Speaker 1>in the standings, being tied fifth with the Sixers. They

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<v Speaker 1>are tied with the Sixers right now. Julius Randall from

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<v Speaker 1>him chucking fifteen shots a game from six inches outside

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<v Speaker 1>the three point line to being unstoppable j RJ. Barrett

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<v Speaker 1>going from the worst contract of the offseason to a

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<v Speaker 1>legit borderline All star player, the team currently playing really

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<v Speaker 1>good defense. We have to do some sort of deep

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<v Speaker 1>dive soon. Like a autopsy on the death of the

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<v Speaker 1>New York Yet Nick stinking because only one question matters

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<v Speaker 1>right now. Is this a fluke? Or are the Knicks

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<v Speaker 1>for real? Was this a bad start or is this

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<v Speaker 1>just a hot moment. We're gonna have to see. We're

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<v Speaker 1>gonna have to see a really quick look at what's

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<v Speaker 1>happening in Chicago. Bad news Bulls, It's not good, bad

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<v Speaker 1>news bulls. Currently, the Bulls sat at eleven and eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>in the East. How bad is eleven and eighteen in

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<v Speaker 1>the East? Well, they are. They are closer to twelfth place,

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<v Speaker 1>where the Wizards sit having lost ten in a row,

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<v Speaker 1>than they are being in the final play and spot

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<v Speaker 1>that's bad? How how sway? How bad are things in Chicago?

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<v Speaker 1>Following their fourth straight loss where they gave up one

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and fifty points to the Carl Anthony Towns less Timberwolves,

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<v Speaker 1>Zach Lavine said this, it's frustrating for all of us.

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<v Speaker 1>I know it's frustrating for the fans. It's embarrassing. We're

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<v Speaker 1>all a little embarrassed about it. Gordon Dragich said, we're

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<v Speaker 1>not playing for each other. De more durou don't put it.

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<v Speaker 1>Probably more bluntly, we look like shit. You think, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>you do. You look horrible. Everything about this team is bad.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, thank god they have Lonzo Ball and he's

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<v Speaker 1>just gonna be coming right around the block. Right. His

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<v Speaker 1>returns eminent, right. No. No. The latest on Lonzo Ball

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<v Speaker 1>also came out yesterday. Billy Donovan spoke to Lonzo and

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<v Speaker 1>we now still have no timetable for his return. He

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<v Speaker 1>is currently progressing towards running. My man, Lonzo Ball isn't

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<v Speaker 1>even running, isn't even on a treadmill right now. When

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<v Speaker 1>he does run, he now needs to be able to

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<v Speaker 1>show that he can go after loose balls without pain.

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<v Speaker 1>He needs a quote significant ramp up for conditioning after

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<v Speaker 1>he gets cleared to run, and then he has to

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<v Speaker 1>do that without pain. Let me just say this, if

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<v Speaker 1>you think Lonzo Ball is coming back this year, he

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<v Speaker 1>is not. This is like a Zion thing from last year,

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<v Speaker 1>same thing. He's not coming back. I would not be

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<v Speaker 1>surprised if he goes to Beaverton to go work with

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<v Speaker 1>Nike for a little while, just see if he can

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<v Speaker 1>figure some things out, do some so searching, take some ayahuasca,

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<v Speaker 1>figure it all out. We'll do a full segment on

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<v Speaker 1>the Bulls. Maybe soon, maybe not, but for now, shit

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<v Speaker 1>has gone sideways. One thing is for sure, though, You

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<v Speaker 1>think the Bulls regret signing Billy Donovan to a big extension,

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<v Speaker 1>You mean the secret extension that they signed in the

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<v Speaker 1>off season that nobody knew about until the season began. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>some shit probably should remain secret. Figure out an outclause

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<v Speaker 1>of that. Finally, let's end the episode with a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit of Christmas cheer courtesy of Adam Silver In the NBA.

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<v Speaker 1>For the first time ever, the NBA is going to

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<v Speaker 1>take care of players who played in the old ABA,

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<v Speaker 1>the American Basketball Association Association that the league merged with

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen seventy six. Ever since the merger of the NBA,

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<v Speaker 1>it's pretty much done everything possible to keep from having

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<v Speaker 1>to take any semblance of caretaking of ABA players who

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<v Speaker 1>did not make it into the NBA. An entire organization

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<v Speaker 1>is out there called Dropping Dimes, was formed actually to

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<v Speaker 1>help struggling former players and vets, you know, lobby to

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<v Speaker 1>the league to take financial stake in the welfare of

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<v Speaker 1>former ABA players. Right. So, finally, after eight years, the

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<v Speaker 1>league has decided to open its purse it's enormous purse,

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<v Speaker 1>by the way, and cut off time those slice for

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<v Speaker 1>a league that's pretty much saved the entirety of pro

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<v Speaker 1>basketball in America to the tune of twenty five million dollars.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, it's better than nothing, I guess, just in

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<v Speaker 1>time for Christmas, this is unbelievably good news. I think

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<v Speaker 1>for every ABA player whoever hooked on or never hooked

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<v Speaker 1>on with an NBA team, some of many of whom

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<v Speaker 1>actually are struggling to this very day. All these guys

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<v Speaker 1>are in their seventies and eighties, one hundred thousand dollars

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<v Speaker 1>check probably going to be a nice little Christmas present

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<v Speaker 1>for him. You might ask yourself, why did it take

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<v Speaker 1>so long? Why did this take so long for the

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<v Speaker 1>NBA to do the right thing? I don't know, but

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<v Speaker 1>better late than never. Rite So much of what we

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<v Speaker 1>love about the NBA came from the ABA. Fast breaks, tomahawk,

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<v Speaker 1>hammer dunks, threes, flashy players, personality. So it's only fair

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<v Speaker 1>that the players who sort of develop what we have

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<v Speaker 1>now and what we love about the league now and

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<v Speaker 1>didn't make it into the new NBA would at least

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<v Speaker 1>benefit somewhat tiny bit from a league that just makes

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<v Speaker 1>billions and billions and billions and dollars in part because

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<v Speaker 1>of the merger that saved them. That's all the time

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<v Speaker 1>that we have for the Heat Check. Check out the

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<v Speaker 1>feed for past episodes and some of the many episodes

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<v Speaker 1>that drop. Follow the Heat Check. As the twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 1>two twenty twenty three season is hot right now, it's

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<v Speaker 1>fin full swing. Do not forget to download, Please subscribe,

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