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Home > On The Ball with Ric Bucher > NBA Tanking Panic Is Fake? The Truth Teams Don’t Want You to Hear
Podcast: On The Ball with Ric Bucher
Episode:

NBA Tanking Panic Is Fake? The Truth Teams Don’t Want You to Hear
Category: Sports & Recreation
Duration: 00:23:32
Publish Date: 2026-02-12 07:45:20
Description:

Is NBA tanking really ruining basketball — or is the outrage just noise?

In this solo episode of On The Ball with Ric Bucher, Ric dismantles the modern hysteria around tanking and explains why what fans think is a crisis is actually a decades-old strategy baked into the league’s business model.

Drawing on 30+ years covering the NBA, Ric reveals:

  • Why tanking isn’t new — and never stopped
  • How the media profits from outrage narratives
  • The hidden economics behind losing on purpose
  • Why the 2026 draft may justify tanking more than ever
  • The real difference between subtle tanking and obvious tanking
  • Why some franchises must draft stars to survive
  • And why tanking is only a 50-50 gamble anyway

He also breaks down real-world examples involving the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, and Sacramento Kings — plus historical tank jobs involving the Spurs, Cavaliers, and Rockets.

Bottom line: the NBA isn’t broken — you just haven’t been told the whole story.


⏱️ Time Stamps

00:00 Intro + show update (now video + audio)

00:53 Why tanking outrage is overblown

02:42 Ric’s philosophy on sports media vs hot takes

04:12 Tanking history from a 30-year NBA insider

05:30 Don Nelson’s hidden Warriors tank attempt

08:10 The Chris Webber–Penny Hardaway draft saga

10:05 Famous tank jobs vs forgotten ones

12:02 Why tanking makes financial sense

13:19 Why the 2026 draft is different

14:21 Teams openly tanking today

16:12 Wizards strategy breakdown

17:39 Pacers injuries vs tank narrative

18:45 Kings reset under Scott Perry

20:50 Why tanking rarely guarantees titles

22:00 The truth: tanking is permanent NBA strategy

22:40 Closing thoughts
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