Former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo has largely disappeared from the public eye since his infamous burner account scandal in 2018. However, the disgraced GM was a topic of conversation after a recent admission from longtime Philadelphia 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey.
For those who don’t remember, Colangelo was forced to resign following a report by The Ringer that determined he’d used five burner accounts to disparage predecessor Sam Hinkie and several Sixers players.
It turns out that one of the many people whom Colangelo’s burner accounts funneled information to was Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who admitted in a recent appearance on the Hello and Welcome podcast that the accounts served as one of his “best sources.”
“That was crazy,” said Pompey of Colangelo’s burner accounts. “But the crazy part is the account… The people used to reach out to me. That was one of my best sources all the time. It was great, that was one of my best sources. So when he got caught, I was like… Cause it was kinda like ‘Such and such is going to happen today.’ So I would write it. First, you would verify it. Then all of a sudden you’re like, how come nobody is upset? Stuff like that. But yeah, I was upset.”
The lingering question is whether Pompey knew it was specifically Colangelo who was behind the burner all along. And if so, did he knowingly write content to serve Colangelo’s agenda while he was the GM of the 76ers?
It’s perhaps not exactly the best look to make this kind of admission given Colangelo’s tarnished reputation around the NBA. Especially considering the recent controversy the Philadelphia Inquirer already faces after the altercation between Joel Embiid and columnist Marcus Hayes.