The Best NBA Player Podcasts Right Now, Ranked

In the words of Draymond Green, the "New Media" is taking over the NBA. NBA players, retired and active, are transitioning into media members daily with their podcasts. Player-led podcasts have saturated the media industry and have led basketball discourse online among NBA fans. While platforms like All The Smoke and Knuckleheads started this new era of player-led podcasts, newer pods like Podcast P with Paul George and The Draymond Green Show are revolutionizing the podcast industry. 

Instead of waiting to hear from a player during a postgame press conference or a spontaneous interview from a major media outlet, players are taking control of their own narratives with podcasts. We've seen Draymond detail moments like his beef with Dillon Brooks from his podcast. We've seen JJ Redick bring on Ben Simmons to voice the struggles he went through in Philadelphia for the first time. Yes, social media can provide that avenue too but a podcast allows you to go in depth without the limitation of characters.

We curated a list of the best NBA player podcast in the game right now. 

Honorable mention: CJ McCollum(The CJ McCollum Show), Duncan Robinson (The Long Shot), Richard Jefferson & Channing Frye (Road Trippin')

Podcast Name: Off Guard With Austin Rivers

Austin Rivers' podcast flies a bit under the radar. He's never been one to hold his tongue or try to cater his opinion to the popular trend. If he believes something, he will say it and he doesn't really care what you have to say about it or if it hurts somebody's feelings. He will always keep it 100 and that was apparent on one of recent episodes when he discussed the topic of stars requesting trades and demanding where they should be traded. He called out the CBA deal and also called out James Harden and Ben Simmons for setting the standard leading to the deal. Rivers hasn't been as consistent producing the podcasts jumping from Uninterrupted to The Ringer but he's a good listen when he does speak from his heart. 

Podcast Name: KG Certified

While Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce had some great moments on television, they always needed a platform where they could be unfiltered without backlash. This duo is still new to the podcast world but their chemistry is on point and they'll always have joke especially Pierce. Pierce is more known for having wild takes and gassing himself up a lot as he should but KG tends to bring the conversation back to reality a lot of the times so it's a great balance. 

Podcast Name: Knuckleheads Podcast

Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles are OGs to the podcast game at this point. They started their podcast back in 2019 with Jimmy Butler as their first guest. They've had an elite guest list in their run including sports legends like Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter and Allen Iverson. The go-to question of asking athletes what their "welcome to the league" moment has brought out some of the best stories we've heard. 

Podcast Name: The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone

It seems like the podcast world was perfect for Pat Bev. A man who talks trash as much as anyone in the NBA now has a platform to talk that same sh*t on the mic. Pat Bev is still new to the game but he's established a solid audience. His top highlight was his episode with a fellow NBA podcaster and all-time trash talker in Draymond Green. Pair those two together and you're guaranteed to get good content.

Podcast Name: The ETCs 

One of the few podcasts that doesn't rely on guests. I mean you can make an argument that you don't really need any guests when you're hearing from one of the greatest players in the game. While KD and his podcast partner Eddie Gonzalez don't rely on guests, they still have some big names on their resume like J. Cole. J. Cole's appearance reflects their versatility of topics. While people are looking for their basketball takes and stories, they jump into categories as well especially like music. 

Podcast Name: Club 520 Podcast 

This may seem premature but this podcast is the hottest on social media right now. There isn't a podcast that is going more viral daily than Jeff Teague's pod. Teague wasn't in the spotlight much in his NBA career and came off as a quiet guy to the media but the pod has shown he might be one of the funniest guys to play in the NBA. His storytelling is unmatched and he's unfiltered. He's not afraid to rag on himself and he gives you nothing but the authentic truth. Teague didn't have an established fan base to boost his numbers to start and they've had zero guests or at least no noteworthy guests so far. He's grown his audience off just normal conversations with his friends and that's the hardest way to build a pod but also the best for sustainability. 

Podcast Name: All The Smoke 

At one point, All the Smoke was the undisputed No. 1 in the business but since then, the podcast game has been oversaturated with player-focused podcasts. But that can't take away from what Stak and Matt Barnes have built. They essentially revolutionized the podcast game with uncensored discourse from a player's perspective. From NBA legends to today's star athletes to music artists to media members, their interviews have impacted the media game like no other. They have one of the best Kobe Bryant interviews of all time. Why are they No. 5? They've lost a bit of steam as of late and you may be able to attribute that to all these other podcasts coming out. 

Podcast Name: Gil's Arena 

They call him "No Chill Gil" for a reason. Gilbert Arenas doesn't hold back on anything and he doesn't give a damn what you think about his takes. He's passionate about his opinions and he's not afraid to have a shouting match on it. Gilbert's opinions are usually polarizing and adding a guy like Rashad McCants and Brandon Jennings to go along with Josiah Johnson provides a good balance of basketball takes, whether comedic or serious. Put a mic in front of Gil and clear out. 

Podcast Name: The Draymond Green Show

Draymond Green revolutionized player podcasts in his own way. Instead of taking a week or two to produce, film, and advertise an episode, Draymond gives us immediate reactions after games and big moments over a Zoom call. Sometimes the podcast will be our first time hearing from him after a big moment and that's a luxury that NBA fans have never experienced. You'll find more significant quotes in his postgame podcast than you'll find in his postgame presser with the media. It allows him to speak freely without being pressured by the media to fit someone's agenda. Not to mention, Draymond is naturally unfiltered and he will never shy away from the mic and confrontation. Just ask Dillon Brooks. 

Podcast Name: The Old Man and the Three with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter

JJ Redick has fully transitioned into a full-time media member but before his ESPN gig, he was and still is one of the best podcasters in the game. He started the podcast as an active player and it's grown yearly even after his career. Redick and his co-host Tommy Alter provide insightful commentary and genuine analysis without the narratives. His interviews with players tend to bring stories from a perspective never heard before. Redick's able to use his relationships with from his playing career to bring on guests, like Ben Simmons, that may not typically talk to media in their free time. 

Podcast Name: Podcast P with Paul George

Too soon? Nope. If we're talking to the best podcasts out right now, Paul George's pod should be atop the list. It took a couple of episodes for Podcast P to get accustomed to the media world and find his niche podcasting but once he found that niche with his player interviews, the pod has been the best in the game. PG has yet to have that groundbreaking guest and yet still his sit-downs with names Demar Derozan, Jerry West, and Draymond Green have had the internet talking. The interviews are timely as well like when he brought Brandon Miller after Miller claimed that Paul George was his basketball GOAT. That was a terrific way to maximize a trending moment. It'll be interesting to see the biggest guest Podcast P can bring on because he's played with a lot of greats in some capacity.