There’s a podcast here for every lover of the game
Who doesn’t enjoy listening to an entertaining podcast every now and again? We sure do - especially when it’s about the sport we know and love best. From fans and spectators of any age to young players alike, we’ve compiled a list of our top basketball/NBA podcasts that combine sheer entertainment and valuable insight - including a list created especially for younger athletes looking to learn and improve their performance.
So, without further ado, let’s get into it...
Hosted by Rob Mahoney, Sports Illustrated’s Breakaway explores the game of ball and the perspectives of a single featured player or coach on each episode. Mahoney does well getting to the bottom of each featured guest’s function within the league; celebrating players that deserve more recognition and appreciation.
Key profiles featured on Breakaway include players like Damian Lillard, Wayne Ellington, Julius Randle, Robin Lopez, and Andrew Roberson.
Hosted by ESPN NBA reporter Zach Lowe, The Lowe Post features Lowe perfectly balancing smooth yet articulate NBA analysis with a highly listenable personality.
While the Podcast sees Lowe speaking alone, he also features fellow reporters for back-and-forth deep discussions and occasionally interviews players which is always a treat, as well.
Hosted by none other than HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons, The Bill Simmons Podcast is the most downloaded sports podcast of all time, featuring a rotation of athlete and celebrity guests among others - and always giving listeners good reason to tune in.
When it comes to deep analysis of the game, hosts Nate Duncan and Danny Leroux don’t play. The Dunc’d On podcast provides the most in-depth, daily NBA game analysis (90 minutes, five times a week) - featuring detailed game breakdowns, salary cap analysis, and scouting - making it a top contender in our books (or should we say - playlists).
For young players, youth basketball podcasts can be an incredible source for performance knowledge and growth off the court (not to mention, they can also be very entertaining while also providing a sense of community).
For example, Alumni Pros Global Sports’ new Game of the Week podcast will be covering matchups featuring players of all ages, from highly ranked players to young diamonds in the rough - and it’s certainly worth checking out if you’re a young player.
With that said, motivated youth who are still mastering their craft can take it a step further by popping in their earbuds at any time to learn from the successes and failures of others - and about strategies that can help transform them and their skills for a more fulfilling and rewarding game of ball.
Young athletes: these are the podcasts worth checking out on your journey to becoming GREAT:
Presented by Pro Skills Basketball, a professional youth basketball organization aimed at teaching young players skills for basketball, life and success, The Youth Hoops Pod discusses a diverse range of relevant youth basketball topics - ranging from from high school & AAU basketball and college recruitment, to NCAA basketball and the NBA & professional overseas basketball, and even covers mental health, performance, and leadership among much more.
Hosted by Jesse Winter and Evan Conti, the Level Up Your Basketball Podcast helps coaches, players and parents alike to better navigate basketball careers both on and off the court. The podcast features special guests who provide a wealth of knowledge and guidance for young players during their entire career journey and beyond.
The Hoopchalk Basketball Podcast’s mission is to assist young basketball players and their families in the navigation of the ever-evolving world of youth basketball.
The podcast covers everything from what to look for when joining a team, also covering college recruitment and how to develop the mental resilience young athletes need to thrive in the game.
Hosted by the revered NBA champion, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist Caron Butler, The Tuff Juice Podcast features sit-downs with some of the most influential and successful guests to discuss how they got to where they are today.
The conversations featured on The Tuff Juice with Caron Butler are highly revealing, entertaining, and best of all, educational - so young athletes can listen and learn to apply these life lessons on their own career journey.
The Hustle With Us podcast features exciting and insightful interviews with professional players, coaches and trainers to hear about their success stories, as well as learn lessons from their shortcomings.
The podcast reveals some of the best training programs for young basketball players including special drills that have helped to build pro-level skills, and talks about just what it takes to become a better player and more knowledgeable student of the game.
Part of the Colin Cowherd Podcast Network, All Ball with Doug Gottlieb is an unfiltered-style podcast that covers some of the biggest stories in college basketball and the NBA.
As a TV analyst and radio host, Doug brings his own unique perspective and opinions on the subject that, while may not be as performance and skill growth-focused as other youth basketball podcasts, is still a great and entertaining listen for young players.
Hosted by Coach Steve Collins, Basketball Coach Unplugged is an informative podcast that covers basketball coaching through interviews and on-topic discussions revolving around topics such as high school, college and youth basketball, offense, defense, motivation, team building, and much more.
The Inspire Podcast aims to to inspire youth while providing them with different insights into the world of sports, featuring inspirational conversations with coaches, athletes and other professional figures.
Young athletes: We hope you give these educational and entertaining youth basketball podcasts a listen in your free time. There’s endless knowledge out there coming from the pros that can be incredibly useful on your journey to becoming a better, more seasoned player. You never know what you can be missing out on!
Hosted by former New York Knicks forward Jerome “Junk Yard Dog” Williams and radio host Sal Licata, Big Apple Buckets is a New York Post sports podcast that covers the Knicks - bringing listeners inside scoops directly from the court and locker room.
The podcast also features special guest appearances by current and former players, as well as other guests like New York Post Knicks beat writer Marc Berman. New episodes will be released every Tuesday during the 2020-2021 NBA season.
Former Golden State Warrior Gilbert Arenas is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic characters in franchise history. Along with his co-host Mike Botticello, The No Chill Podcast truly has “no chill”, bringing listeners talk about all things Agent 0 - from his stories to his ideas and unique perspective, and also featuring guest athletes, actors and comedians.
Hosted by ex-Golden State Warrior teammates Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, All the Smoke is home to some of the best interviews of the NBA world of all time. These two have always been transparent throughout their athletic careers and know how to bring raw and unfiltered discussions to their listener’s ears.