Brian Windhorst is regarded as one of the most prominent and plugged-in NBA reporters out there. That is why, according to one report, at least one NBA team tossed around the idea of officially hiring him.
Pablo Torre revealed in a recent podcast that the Oklahoma City Thunder considered hiring Windhorst roughly a decade ago. Torre noted how secretive Presti is when it comes to keeping information close to the vest, and that Windhorst might be able to get the sort of information Presti values.
“One thing I can report is that a little over a decade ago, he actually explored hiring our extremely plugged-in buddy, Brian Windhorst, away from ESPN, to work as an information guy for the Thunder,” Torre said. “The question of like, ‘Why would he do that?’ 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’t surrender that information.”
.@PabloTorre reports that a little over a decade ago, Sam Presti explored hiring @WindhorstESPN away from ESPN to work as "an information guy" for the OKC Thunder. 👀 pic.twitter.com/c0dhj2awH4
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) June 12, 2025
Obviously, this did not come to fruition, and Windhorst remains with ESPN. Presumably, his sources would have been much less eager to talk to him if he were employed by a specific team, but Presti would surely know that and thought the idea merited consideration anyway.
LeBron James probably would not have liked such a move, but the Thunder might have had a lot of access to information. Instead, viewers get to enjoy his animated commentary on happenings around the league.
