Despite the advice of close advisors, it won’t be Bill Simmons or Paul Finebaum who jumps out of the sports world to score a coveted interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Instead, according to Max Tani of Semafor, Harris reportedly recorded an interview on Tuesday with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson of All the Smoke. Not only is it a huge score for an interview podcast hosted by two retired NBA journeymen to nab the Democratic nominee for president, but it represents one of Harris’ only major interviews to date.
As Tani noted in his post on X reporting the All the Smoke interview, Barnes and Jackson led the beloved “We Believe” Golden State Warriors team (which upset the 1-seed Dallas Mavericks) when Harris served as district attorney in San Francisco.
More here: Kamala Harris recorded an appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast today, I’m told. It’s one of the more well-known NBA pods, hosted by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, who both played on the “We Believe” Golden State Warriors at the time when Harris was SF DA. https://t.co/LGKzkK4JAj
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) September 25, 2024
All the Smoke was one of the first major NBA athlete podcasts, preceding Draymond Green or Paul George’s foray into the medium. The show posted an interview with Kobe Bryant about a month before his death in 2020, as well as major sitdowns with media stars like Shannon Sharpe, Stephen A. Smith, and Kevin Hart.
However, All the Smoke largely sticks to sports — and basketball specifically. While Jackson was closely involved as an advocate for George Floyd during the racial justice protests in 2020, neither host is known for weighing into social issues or politics much.
The interview marks a massive opportunity for All the Smoke as well as a unique spot for Harris. She will have a chance to speak to a younger, more male audience on this podcast compared with the recent debate on ABC, an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, or even her live-streamed sitdown with Oprah Winfrey.
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.