The NBA season has officially reached its latter half, with some of the teams already looking towards the draft to bolster their chances next season, and others coming out as the clear favorites in their respective conferences. And when it comes to on-court action, excitement is not lacking for the fans.
However, another scandal, one that has absolutely nothing to do with the game of basketball, is (not so) quietly brewing. This time, the spotlight has shifted toward the Memphis Grizzlies’ owner, Robert Pera, who has been linked to allegations involving the sale of technology equipment that ended up in Russian hands during the war in Ukraine.
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Pera’s company is connected with the drone strikes in Ukraine
At first glance, it would be hard for someone to connect the dots between a billionaire NBA franchise owner and warfare on an entirely different continent. Yet behind the scenes, there are growing allegations tied to the war in Ukraine, suggesting that Pera, or rather his company, may be one of the key shadow players enabling Russian military operations through communication technology.
According to Forbes’ real-time net worth, Pera is worth roughly $26.7 billion and is the founder and CEO of wireless equipment maker Ubiquiti Networks. The company produces Wi-Fi routers, antennas, and radio equipment that are commonly used to establish communication in places where connectivity is difficult, such as forests, villages, rural areas, and isolated terrain.
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That is where the issue begins.
According to multiple investigations, those same devices have allegedly ended up on the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Hunterbrook Media journalist Sam Koppelman spent six months conducting extensive research, uncovering what he describes as a troubling connection between the American billionaire’s company and Russian forces using the equipment to maintain communication and coordinate attacks, especially with drones involved.
What initially might sound almost unbelievable was reportedly backed by undercover reporting, video evidence and trade data that linked Ubiquiti devices directly to Russian military units operating in Ukraine.
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“What this American company is doing is helping power Russia’s communications grid,” Koppelman said during his analysis on the Pablo Torre Finds Out. “And what experts told us is that this enables precision drone attacks against Ukrainian civilians. The types of massacres of innocent people that the UN has called crimes against humanity.”
To make matters even worse, if that is even possible, a Ukrainian soldier reportedly explained the deadly importance of such devices in those areas where there is no rest.
“We actually spoke to a Ukrainian soldier currently in the war zone who told us at Hunterbrook that without ubiquity, these drones from Russia, the ones leading to these massacres, they would not work. Quote, they’d be flying blind,” he added.
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Not the first time Ubiquiti was in the thick of things
The sale of such equipment to Russia is explicitly prohibited under U.S. sanctions. Russia has been under sanctions since 2014, with even stricter measures imposed after the invasion of Ukraine. Ubiquiti, however, already has a history of violating sanctions. Back in 2014, the company’s devices were found in Iran, resulting in a fine of roughly half a million dollars imposed by the U.S. government. Now, according to these allegations, history appears to be repeating itself. And it does not look good.
“This can’t happen again. If it happens again, I’ll be in trouble,” Sera said the first time around.
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Investigative teams analyzed everything, from videos and photos from the battlefield, where Ubiquiti logos were clearly visible on antennas used by Russian units, to interviews with the people who have experienced this firsthand.
To further test the situation, Hunterbrook reporters tried a tactic where they posed as Russian buyers and discovered that online retailers were allegedly willing to ship Ubiquiti products into war zones. They find another way to circumvent the global law, but they manage to do it in the end.
All of those findings, combined with multiple testimonies, point in one direction. And it’s on each one of us to decide for ourselves.
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What will the NBA do about it?
To circle back to why this exclusive story matters in the context of the NBA and business, it is important to note that Pera became the youngest individual to own a franchise in the Association back in 2012. He is also the same owner who punished his Grizzlies superstar, Ja Morant, extremely hard, for flashing a gun on Instagram Live and later mimicking gun gestures during celebrations. Reports suggest that Morant lost approximately $8 million due to this, was suspended and issued a public apology.
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Now, the script has flipped, and that same owner, whose billion-dollar company’s products were seen being used in military operations the United Nations has labeled crimes against humanity, has faced no consequences within the Association. Sure, it is still a new topic, and the league officials have probably just found out about it as well. Talk about the irony…
Nevertheless, we will be watching how this drama unfolds. Because this is not the first time this campaign that the NBA has to deal with an owner circumventing the rules, just look at the Steve Ballmer and Aspiration situation, which is still somewhere underneath the rug. Now, Silver has another problem on his hands, one that needs urgent response.
“Does the NBA Commissioner care more about a player brandishing a gun on Instagram or if one of his billionaire bosses is enabling Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine?” Koppelman asked as a grand finale to his analysis, leaving the question unanswered.
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This issue is far bigger than basketball and stretches far beyond league boundaries. For now, there has been no definitive response from NBA officials. But one thing is certain: this story will not simply fade away. Now, we have to wait and see how, and if, Silver and his team respond to these allegations.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.