Last updated on February 15th, 2019
The weather outside is frightful, but the NBA is so delightful. It’s time to refresh our basketball podcast queues like the Looney Tunes with Michael’s Secret Stuff. Here are six NBA podcasts to show everyone that basketball is your favorite sport and you like the way they dribble up and down the court. And like any good coach, I’ll tell you the starter you need to put in the game right now.
If you come at the king, you best not miss. Zach Lowe continues to reign as the ruler of basketball podcasts and he’s not slowing down any time soon. Not only is he one of the smartest guys in sports, but he’s willing to explain the Xs and Os that float through his brain. Lowe always has a guest in the studio, bouncing his expertise off of his guest and playing to their strengths. This changes depending on who he has with him: if he has a media colleague on mic, it becomes a deep look into how to report on the changing NBA. If he’s with a current NBA player, he listens as they chat about their experience, locker room gossip, and their specific team dynamic. If he’s with an NBA legend, he takes on a similar reverence as a fan, allowing the stories of the 70s, 80s, and 90s to wash over him and the audience together. He’s the science teacher who got you interested in physics, not the professor who wants to hear himself talk. If you care about the state of basketball, you need to listen to Zach Lowe.
The Starters: for commentary at its best, Bill Simmons; for a great player interview, Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
No one has burst onto the podcast scene in 2018 harder, faster and smarter than The Ringer. Bill Simmons’ sports-and-pop-culture website has brought on some of the best writers and talkers in sports today. And The Ringer has pulled off an interesting trick with The Ringer NBA Show that pushes the strengths of their deep and savvy roster of basketball analysts. What started out as a weekly quasi-radio show has expanded to a five-days-a-week channel that has a “show” for every type of NBA fan. Heat Check brings charismatic host John Gonzalez to interview different Ringer NBA staff one-on-one, Group Chat mimics the frenetic pace of your favorite sports Slack, The Mismatch pairs traditional Memphis talk radio host Chris Vernon with wonky Kevin O’Connor for fireworks, and The Corner 3 is where scouting and statistics thrives. Think of it as a Russian nesting doll of sports podcasts and you only have to subscribe once. Seeing the cartoonish basketball logo in your feed every day reminds you how plugged in the Ringer team is, and has made it the outlet I rely on the most for NBA commentary.
The Starters: Any episode of The Mismatch is a must-listen. Vernon and O’Connor exemplify two wildly different types of sports media members, and sometimes Vernon cannot stand O’Connor’s numbers-driven mumblings. Gotta love it when Verno starts yelling.
The show is only a few episodes in, but this Players’ Only-style pod is starting with a bang. They lit the basketblog world on fire on their third episode when Steph Curry said he didn’t believe in the moon landing. And where else can you hear Vince Carter talk about breaking the 25k point milestone? NBA players are starting to realize how their brand extends into the media space, especially when they see retirement at the end of the tunnel. Vets Vince Carter and Kent Bazemore are taking this endeavor seriously and they talk the ease and confidence of a long NBA career. That ease spreads to all of their guests, most of which are players who these guys have known for more than a decade. With Hawks digital media specialist Annie Finberg keeping the show steady, watch for Winging It to be a trailblazer for a new genre player-focused audio.
The Starters: Steph Curry willingly said he didn’t believe in the moon landing! On a podcast! That was recorded! For public consumption!
Halfway through the season, you may be worn out from your abysmal losing record and injury-depleted roster (shout out to the three Knicks games I went to in December). This limited-run show can reinvigorate that fan in you and give you a brief glimpse at the lives of other fans. The show has three undeniable strengths: 1) the unique premise: Host Alex Kapelman decides to give up his life-long allegiance to the New York Knicks and asks his friends to court him for their team. 2) The limited-run format makes it perfect for binging and each episode is less than 20 minutes, with most under 15. 3) You’ll see a lot of your favorite podcast and media people talk about sports! The first two episodes have Linda Holmes and Gene Demby on it! Like come on! This show isn’t just about basketball, but about memories, growing up, and why we love what we love.
The Starters: The first episode with Linda Holmes about The Knicks is key, but don’t sleep on WNBA.
Every genre has a “comedians talking about ___________” podcast, and now the NBA has one, too. Luckily, professional funny-person Amir Blumenfeld of “Jake & Amir” knows plenty of funny people, so you know it’s going to be weird and hilarious. It’s shaggy, insider-y, and sometimes totally uninformed, but being silly when talking about sports is a particular genre I’m happy to have on my RSS feed. It captures what we all want from a podcast: someone who feels like us, but like 25% more talented, talking about things we care about.
The Starters: Ben Schwartz (aka Jean-Ralphio) is hilarious in the first episode. Start there and never look back.
I’ll be honest, this is my podcast. But as a basketball fan, an Internet fan, a goofiness fan, and a fan of indie podcasts breaking into a professional space, I love it a lot. HORSE is the basketball podcast for the 21st-century fan. It’s less about wins and losses, more about beefs, Internet drama and how the NBA is a pop culture requirement. We’re here to prove that basketball is entertaining to follow for all fans, whether you’re actively watching the games or not. It’s just fun, and my co-host Mike Schubert and I try extremely hard to keep it fun. Also, it’s called HORSE, which, objectively, is very good.
The Starters: Do You Have Any Sons? is my favorite episode we’ve recorded so far. If you like extended jokes about Sir Mix-a-Lot and the economics of the NBA Store, this show is for you.
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