Brian Windhorst is considered to be one of the most well-known and well-connected NBA reporters. According to one story, at least one NBA team considered formally employing him because of this.
In a recent podcast, Pablo Torre disclosed that the Oklahoma City Thunder contemplated employing Windhorst about ten years ago. Torre pointed out that Windhorst could be able to obtain the kind of information that Presti appreciates, and that Presti is quite secretive about keeping things close to the vest.
“He actually looked into hiring our very tech-savvy friend, Brian Windhorst, away from ESPN, to work as an information guy for the Thunder a little over ten years ago,” Torre added.
This raises the question, ‘Why would he do that?’ Because knowledge is valuable to Sam Presti, he experimented with hiring Brian Windhorst from ESPN. It is a competitive advantage, an edge. You also don’t give up that knowledge.
This obviously never happened, and Windhorst is still with ESPN. If he had been working for a certain club, his sources would have likely been far less willing to speak with him, but Presti would have known that and felt the proposal was worth considering nevertheless.
The Thunder might have had a lot of access to intelligence, but LeBron James probably would not have approved of such a strategy. Instead, his lively commentary on events across the league is enjoyed by viewers.
