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Memphis Grizzlies owner Robert Pera is a tech prodigy through and through. He grew up in San Carlos, CA in the heart of Silicon Valley, went to UCSD where he earned a B.S. in electrical engineering and secured a job at Apple.
While there, he came up with an idea to revolutionize Wi-Fi by enhancing Apple’s Wi-Fi devices to extend their range up to dozens of miles but his superiors dismissed his idea. Betting on himself, he then spent $30K of his own savings and credit card debt to build out a working prototype and went on to launch Ubiquiti Networks, a company that brings Wi-Fi connectivity to rural/remote/underserved regions that lacked traditional Wi-Fi communications infrastructure.
According to Forbes, Memphis Grizzlies owner Robert Pera has an estimated net worth of $26.7 billion which makes him the 85th wealthiest person on planet earth as of today. The Bloomberg Billionaire Index has him ranked at #71 worldwide with an estimated net worth of $33.1 billion.
All of that to say is he’s a very successful entrepreneur and a public figure who has far-reaching power in global communications, the latter of which is at the heart of a new investigation by Hunterbrook Media’s Sam Koppelman.
Is Memphis Grizzlies Owner Robert Pera’s Company Helping Russia Bomb Ukraine
You can read the report on Hunterbrook Media in full at that link above, and I highly encourage you to, but Sam Koppelman, the son of Brian Koppelman behind Rounders and Billions, made an appearance on Pablo Torre’s show to discuss his findings.
In a now-viral TikTok clip, the video opens up by zooming in on a device with the “signature” Ubiquiti logo printed on it. From there, they explain how what we are looking at is “the popular antenna that helps Robert Pera make his fortune,” the device and technology that helped Robert Pera become the youngest owner in NBA history.
But the still from the video is taken of a Russian soldier in their war against Ukraine. What we then learn from the video, according to Sam Koppelman, is this Ubiquiti device is “the choice wireless antenna for the Russian military.”
Spelling it out further, they claim the Russian military’s drones would not be able to bomb Ukrainian cities without this Ubiquiti technology. That is what they are alleging in the report. Here is the clip:
@pablotorrefindsout “Does the NBA commissioner care more about a player brandishing a gun on Instagram, or if one of his billionaire bosses is enabling Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine?” Go inside @Hunterbrook investigation — linking Robert Pera’s technology to “crimes against humanity” — at the link in bio.
What does this have to do with sports?
Well, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has faced considerable discipline from NBA commissioner Adam Silver over gun-related offenses. He has been fined $75,000 for ‘finger gun’ celebrations.
Ja Morant was suspended for 8 games without pay in 2023 for brandishing a gun at a night club. Two months later he flashed a gun on Instagram Live and was suspended for 25 games.
All of that for Ja Morant brandishing a gun, off the court, away from the game. But what about the Memphis Grizzlies owner, the man whose signature is on Ja Morant’s checks?
Sam Koppelman and Pablo Torre want to know, and justifiably so, if the NBA will look into the actions of a billionaire team owner’s alleged ties to the Russia-Ukraine war with the same fervor they went after Ja Morant? I think we all know the answer to that question though.
The full segment on Pablo Torre Finds Out can be viewed here. Give it a watch, draw your own conclusions from the evidence presented.
What do you think, will the NBA investigate? Let us know your thoughts in the Facebook comments.