It’s coming to that time of the season when nervous NBA fans can’t help themselves from frantically checking the NBA Finals odds every five minutes or reading the latest 10,000 word in-depth article by The Athletic on the impact of lace lengths on the NBAs top stars.
Another way that you can get your basketball fix without slowly going insane is by listening to a podcast on your morning commute or when you’re at the gym.
Below we’ve put together a list of the top 10 basketball podcasts that you can start listening to today.
10. No Dunks
Okay, we did kind of start this article off by throwing shade on The Athletic so let’s redress that now by crediting them for a great basketball podcast. This daily podcast features the crew that was known as The Basketball Jones and is laugh out loud funny.
9. ‘Knuckleheads
Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson, formerly teammates at the Los Angeles Clippers and friends in real life combine once again to make one of the funniest and engaging basketball podcasts out there. The podcast features their insights on the game and a host of funny and interesting stories from their playing days.
8. The JJ Redick Podcast
JJ Redick is to basketball podcasts what Joe Rogan is to podcasts. He’s the original NBA player podcaster and one of the most insightful and enlightening basketball pundits out there. Not only does Redick give his unique perspective on the game but he helps to contextualise the thoughts and feelings of players during the most decisive on-court moments.
7. Back to Back
Sometimes after experiencing the full range of emotions watching your team win or lose on the court, what you really need is a light-hearted laid-back conversation on the game. That’s exactly what you’ll get with this podcast which is definitely one of our favourites.
6. Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective
With a name that wouldn’t sound out of place on a 1980s music festival line-up, this podcast is an absolute must-listen for basketball fans. Featuring a whole host of ESPN reporters along with the hilarious Tim McMahon and legendary Jackie MacMullan this pod will keep you up to date and entertained in equal measure.
5. The Woj Pod
Adrian Wojnarowski is a reporter renowned for his storytelling and ability to get down to the heart of a story. In this podcast he hosts interviews with players, coaches and executives and not only covers the burning questions of fans, but humanises his guests too, telling their personal stories.
4. All the Smoke
Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson were known for their refreshing and at times, blunt honesty during their playing careers. They are no different in the podcast studio than on the court and those qualities combined with their natural chemistry helps to make for one hell of a podcast.
3. The Bill Simmons Podcast
The most downloaded sports podcast of all-time hosted by HBO and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is a pod that every self-respecting sports fan in the country should be subscribing to. Whilst this isn’t a strictly basketball podcast it doesn’t lack in insight and passion.
Simmons usually has a great list of guests to discuss the latest on court action. During the playoffs Simmons and his guests will help you make sense of everything you see on your television set.
2. Dunc’d On
Thus far we’ve covered podcasts that strike a balance between insight and entertainment. This pod, hosted by Nate Duncan and Danny Leroux tends to lean more towards the insight aspect making it the perfect pod for basketball nerds.
The pair provide the deepest analysis of the game that you’ll find anywhere on Spotify or Apple podcasts and always leave their listeners with a new and interesting insight.
1. The Lowe Post
The undisputed GOAT of basketball podcasts, hosted by ESPN NBA reporter Zach Lowe always provides listeners with a nuanced and interesting take on basketball’s hot topics. In addition to that Lowe also has a series of great interviews with top stars and some of the game’s most interesting supporting cast like Howard Beck.