Taylor Rooks has a reputation as the go-to interviewer for NBA athletes and has the trust and respect of many of the league’s biggest stars, but even Rooks doesn’t always think it’s a good idea for NBA players to take matters into their own hands and launch a podcast.
In an interview on Boardroom Talks with founder Rich Kleiman released Thursday, Rooks discussed the candid conversations she has had with NBA stars wanting to host their own shows.
“I’ve had a few ‘don’t do a podcast’ conversations if I’m being honest with you,” the Warner Bros. Discovery digital host and Thursday Night Football feature reporter told Kleiman.
When asked if there were “too many” NBA-athlete hosted podcasts, Rooks said the quality doesn’t justify the quantity.
“There are too many podcasts that have the potential to hurt you, that’s what I’ll say,” Rooks added. “I don’t think there are enough good ones.”
Pointing to a good example of an NBA podcast hosted by current or former athletes, Rooks praised the newly launched Mind the Game with LeBron James and JJ Redick.
Of course listeners wants to hear what James thinks, but beyond that, Rooks said the show has a clear purpose — and reveals deeper questions about sports media and content in 2024.
“The fact that (Mind the Game) didn’t exist, when you really think about it, is probably a failing on someone’s part,” Rooks said. “Because before that, where did you go just to learn more? And so they fulfilled a need and of course it’s cutting through because it didn’t exist, but I think we should examine why it didn’t exist … that actually means examining the consumer. Because the reason that NBA media is how it is now whether it’s debatey or hot takey or feeding into drama, whatever, is because that’s what people watch.”
As Rooks points out, there are more NBA player-hosted shows than ever. Yet somehow, Mind the Game was an anomaly in its detail and specificity.
Instead of starting up a show where NBA guys talk about their lives or interview the same guests as everyone else, Rooks notes it’s important to survey the landscape and be unique.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.