You're listening to Giraffe King's Network.

This is the Dunlabel Tarshou with the Stugat's Podcast.

So this is a genuine thrill for me, because I have been an eager listener to these podcasts

with David Samson and John Skipper to friends and colleagues of mine, one of whom happens

to be my boss.

But I am an eager listener because I just don't get to hear this level of kimono opening

when it comes to how rich and powerful people think about the things that I think about.

And so thank you guys for allowing me to ride sidecar here and try and prod you into being

almost irresponsibly honest.

That'll be easy for me.

What about you, John?

Are you ready for that for some kimono opening?

Oh, sure.

I'm just concerned about what's underneath the kimono.

So underneath the NBA's kimono right now, or at least in the case of the Washington

Wizards and their parent company, monumental sports and entertainment, happens to be a

5% ownership stake by the Qatar sovereign wealth fund.

And so this is a story about, yes, sports washing and about foreign money, but it's also

a story about what Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA, someone John has known for a very

long time personally, because Adam Silver said about this story, quote, in the foreseeable

future for sovereign wealth funds, there is no pathway for those minority ownership

stakes to become controlling majority ownership stakes.

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