So the wife, apparently, did it.
That’s the conclusion that has been reached in the Great 76ers Twitter Scandal of 2018, and that’s the one we will all have to live with: Barbara Bottini, wife of now-former Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo, tweeted sensitive inside information — including criticism of current and former players, as well as other league executives — from anonymous accounts (a.k.a. burner accounts).
She told representatives of the New York law firm Paul, Weiss as much, according to a statement issued Thursday, a statement that also said Colangelo was “careless and in some instances reckless” in failing to protect team info.
He “vigorously” disputed that in a statement of his own, saying his wife acted “independently and without (his) knowledge and consent” and engaged in “a seriously misguided effort to publicly defend and support” him.

Which, if you think about it, could lead to some interesting nights around the family dinner table in the weeks ahead, now that Colangelo has resigned (according to the team) or mutually agreed to part ways (his version).
Among the many unanswered questions are why, according to Paul, Weiss, Bottini “executed a factory reset” of her smartphone before turning it over to investigators. And if you recall The Ringer story by Ben Detrick that brought Twittergate to the forefront, we can wonder anew as to why three of the five accounts in question went private after Detrick broached the topic with team officials.
But the bigger question is this: What happens now, given the fact that the Sixers have executed a factory reset of their own? Coach Brett Brown has been appointed the interim personnel guy, meaning he will have a sizable say as to who the team selects in the June 21 draft — in which the Sixers currently hold two first-round picks, Nos. 10 and 26 overall — as well as free agency, which begins July 1 with the very real possibility that Philadelphia will make a play for LeBron James.
Another interesting twist, mentioned by Detrick and some of his fellow Ringerites on that outlet’s podcast Thursday, is that Brown figures to have considerable influence over who the team selects as the next GM — an unusual circumstance, since the general manager typically picks the coach, not the other way around.
In other words, Brown, who solidified his position within the organization by signing a three-year contract extension recently, gained even more power Thursday.
The Philadelphia Inquirer seized upon that, running a banner headline on its Friday sports front proclaiming, “Truly Brown’s Team.”
It was reminiscent of the day in June 1986 when the Sixers traded Moses Malone to Washington and the Daily News ran a story headlined, “It’s Matty’s Team Now,” in reference to coach Matt Guokas Jr. That remained the case only until Feb. 8, 1988, when he gave way to one of his assistants, Jim Lynam.
Life comes at you fast, as Colangelo can attest.
As for a permanent GM, The Washington Post’s Tim Bontemps mentioned David Griffin, who once held the same position with Cleveland, as the person most likely to succeed Colangelo. It is something others have surmised as well, in no small part because Griffin orchestrated LeBron's return to the Cavaliers in 2014.
Bontemps also included Colangelo’s predecessor, Sam Hinkie, among the possible replacements. While that would be a popular choice with a great many fans, that seems less likely.
One other matter: SI.com legal analyst Michael McCann mentioned that the NBA could penalize the team and/or Colangelo. McCann also wrote that the league will almost certainly institute new guidelines governing social-media conduct because of this.
Other than that, it’s time for that factory reset. Time to get back to basketball.