Planet Money vs. the NBA’s tanking problem
Planet Money
- Published
- March 6, 2026
- Duration
- 30:20
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Jun 7, 2026
Discusses What do we want from sports? The very best athletes competing as hard as they know how, putting all …
Summary
What do we want from sports? The very best athletes competing as hard as they know how, putting all their effort and training and natural ability to the test against their opponents. But this time of year, that’s not the product the NBA is putting on the court. Instead, teams at the bottom of the league are competing … to lose, because it could help them …
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Show notes
What do we want from sports? The very best athletes competing as hard as they know how, putting all their effort and training and natural ability to the test against their opponents. But this time of year, that’s not the product the NBA is putting on the court. Instead, teams at the bottom of the league are competing … to lose, because it could help them get a top pick in next year’s draft. It’s called tanking — it’s bad for fans, and it’s bad for the league.Tanking has gotten especially egregio