Pablo Torre found out again.<\/p>\n
And this time, he found out one of his former ESPN colleagues nearly joined a team that\u2019s now three wins away from an NBA title.<\/p>\n
On a recent episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out,<\/a> the Meadowlark Media host went deep on Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti. In the process, Torre \u2014 the same sports media sleuth who brought us the Bill Belichick-Jordon Hudson investigative journalism rabbit hole<\/a> \u2014 discovered that Presti once dropped a secret rap album\u2026 and also tried to lure Brian Windhorst to Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n .@PabloTorre<\/a> reports that a little over a decade ago, Sam Presti explored hiring @WindhorstESPN<\/a> away from ESPN to work as \u201can information guy\u201d for the OKC Thunder. \ud83d\udc40 pic.twitter.com\/c0dhj2awH4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) June 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe secrecy of this organization, which has been a bit of a black box, has been this way for so long that there\u2019s one story from Grantland<\/a>, years ago, in which a reporter for Fox Sports said, \u2018When it comes to getting a one-on-one interview, it would be easier to get access to the leader of ISIS,’\u201d Torre began.<\/p>\n So why would Presti want Windhorst?<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I can report is that a little over a decade ago, he actually explored our extremely plugged-in buddy, Brian Windhorst, away from ESPN, to work as an information guy for the Thunder,\u201d Torre continued. \u201cAnd the question of like, \u2018Why would he do that?\u2019 The reason that Sam Presti kicked the tires on hiring Brian Windhorst from ESPN is that information to Sam Presti is currency. It is an edge, a competitive advantage. And you don\u2019t surrender that information.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s why Sam Presti speaks to the media twice a year \u2014 once at midseason, once after the Finals \u2014 and when he does, it\u2019s strictly basketball. That\u2019s his entire allotment of public exposure.<\/p>\n While Windhorst didn\u2019t bite, it wouldn\u2019t have been unprecedented. The Thunder already have a reporter pipeline flowing. Royce Young, a former ESPN NBA reporter, now works in basketball operations. Presti also brought on Sebastian Pruiti, a former Grantland contributor, as a video analyst.<\/p>\n This trend goes beyond the Thunder. John Hollinger left ESPN to take on a front-office role with the Grizzlies. Lee Jenkins jumped from Sports Illustrated to the Clippers. Luke Winn made the same move, leaving SI for the Raptors. Mike Singer covered the Nuggets for the Denver Post before crossing over to work for them.<\/p>\n We\u2019re just glad Windy stayed at ESPN; otherwise, we would\u2019ve never been blessed with his \u201cNow why is that?<\/a>\u201d meme.<\/p>\n \t