Pablo Torre Finds Out "Don't Go to the Lakers": We Unraveled the Case of the Mob Hit That Saved Vegas
Apr 2, 2026
Sean Carey, film producer and reporter who dug into the 1979 Vic Weiss murder. He unpacks the Rolls Royce discovery, alleged mob ties to Stardust skimming and Tony Spilotro, a suspicious boxing match tied to Sugar Ray Leonard, and how the case intersected with Jerry Tarkanian nearly leaving for the Lakers. Fast-paced true-crime reporting that reframes Vegas sports history.
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The 'Don't Go To The Lakers' Myth
- The violent hit is popularly framed as a mafia message to keep Tarkanian in Las Vegas and scare him away from the Lakers.
- Winning Time dramatizes this as a direct warning, but investigators and family dispute that the murder's intent was to influence Tark's decision.
Body In The Rolls That Stopped The Lakers Move
- Vic Weiss was found hog-tied, shot twice, and decomposed in the trunk of a maroon and white Rolls Royce, ending his role as Jerry Tarkanian's agent.
- Jerry Tarkanian had nearly accepted the Lakers job; Weiss disappeared days after finalizing terms on June 13, 1979, and was found June 17, 1979.
Boxing Fix Theory Didn't Fully Explain The Murder
- Detectives investigated Weiss's boxing ties because he managed fighters and was linked to suspicious fight stoppages, notably Armando Muniz vs. Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978.
- Police suspected thrown fights and gambling debts but found the explanation incomplete.