Pablo Torre's Kawhi Leonard reporting wins Pulitzer Prize, a first for The Athletic

The podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” gained the Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting on Monday for an investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers’ alleged evasion of the NBA’s wage cap by the usage of a separate entity to pay star Kawhi Leonard.

The Pulitzer is the primary for The Athletic, which began 10 years in the past and has been owned by The New York Instances Firm since 2022. “Pablo Torre Finds Out” is produced by Meadowlark Media and have become a part of The Athletic Podcast Community in September by a licensing deal.

“To be a present in The Athletic’s community and to be related to The New York Instances Firm broadly is an honor in and of itself,” Torre, 40, stated throughout a celebration in The Instances newsroom.

Final yr, Torre reported on his present that the Clippers and their proprietor, Steve Ballmer, paid Leonard hundreds of thousands of {dollars} greater than allowed underneath league wage cap guidelines by a four-year, $28 million endorsement cope with Aspiration, a California-based environmental firm. Ballmer was a outstanding investor in Aspiration, which filed for chapter in March 2025. Following the podcast, the NBA started an investigation into the allegations, which the Clippers and Ballmer have repeatedly denied. That investigation is ongoing.

Since starting in 2023, “Pablo Torre Finds Out” has coated quite a lot of subjects, starting from the Leonard reporting to President Donald Trump’s affect on crew possession, to secret rap albums and aggressive bird-watching. Torre additionally made headlines for episodes on Invoice Belichick and the operations of the NFL Gamers’ Union.

Torre, a Harvard graduate, was previously a sports activities author for Sports activities Illustrated earlier than shifting to ESPN and turning into a senior author for ESPN The Journal. He additionally contributed to the tv reveals “Across the Horn” and “Pardon the Interruption,” and hosted the ESPN Each day podcast.

The New York Instances gained three Pulitzers on Monday — for investigative reporting, opinion writing and breaking information pictures — whereas The Washington Publish and Reuters every gained two. The prizes are given out annually by Columbia College for excellence in journalism, literature and the humanities.