• Loading stock data...
Friday, June 20, 2025
exclusive
Tuned In

4 Big NBA Player Podcasts Are On the Move to Blue Wire

Dwight Howard, D’Angelo Russell, Penny Hardaway, and Victor Oladipo are all migrating their independent podcasts to Blue Wire’s platform.

Apr 10, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Dwight Howard, D’Angelo Russell, Penny Hardaway, and Victor Oladipo are all bringing their podcasts to Blue Wire, the platform’s founder and CEO Kevin Jones confirmed to Front Office Sports. The podcasts were all previously independent. 

Over the past several years, current and former player podcasts have become a cottage industry in the sports media space, and nowhere is this more pronounced than with basketball. FOS asked Howard, who was inducted into the Magic’s Hall of Fame earlier this week, how he thinks he cuts through the clutter.

“Well, we’re not trying to compete against nobody but ourselves,” Howard said. “I think the best version of ourselves every day, the most authentic version that we give to the fans and the world will bring enough energy and bring enough force that people will really love watching our podcast. … We talk about things outside of basketball, things that are different from sports. And that’s why it is called Above the Rim.”

Howard’s dream podcast guest? President Donald Trump.

“I just like to have conversations with people just to see where their spirit and their energy lies,” Howard said. “And a lot of times, when we see people online, we see people in the media or the face that they put on when they’re on TV or whatever, maybe [it’s] a little bit different than how they carry themselves and how they move when they’re not on camera and stuff like that.”

Howard said he’d want to discuss Trump’s upbringing and the difficulty of the job. “I don’t think people understand it, the tough assignment of being a president, but also trying to carry your own morals. … I’m [not] taking up for any president or anything like that in history but I’m just of the understanding that it is a very hard job—it’s like being a king in your own land and you have so many people that you have to try to take care of, and a lot of times your feelings and emotions have to be out of decisions and stuff like that,” he said.

Howard also said the top basketball player he’d like to host is Victor Wembanyama.

The Blue Wire podcast network has more than 200 shows, including ones hosted by Cam Newton, Amon-Ra St. Brown, J.R. Smith, and pro wrestling interviewer Chris Van Vliet. Collectively, the network reached more than 177 million downloads last year.

With Howard’s Above the Rim, Russell’s Backyard (cohosted by Logan Linkmeyer), Hardaway’s Two Cents, and Oladipo’s Inner Court podcasts, Blue Wire is adding a collective 445,000 YouTube subscribers and 9.2 million Instagram followers of the athletes.  

Blue Wire negotiated with Russell’s agency, CAA Basketball, for the podcast, which is sponsored by PrizePicks and Ro. “I’m excited to announce my partnership with Blue Wire, a top-tier podcast media company led by Kevin and his incredible team. Together, we’re building something special, and I can’t wait to share what’s coming next,” Russell said in a statement.

“Our Blue Wire team continues to forge strong business relationships with premier athlete and influencer talent in the sports space. We’re eager to help grow the budding media empires of D’Angelo, Dwight, Penny, and Victor,” Jones said.  

Highly successful NBA podcasts that could be called empires have included All the Smoke from Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes (they interviewed then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris in September) and JJ Redick’s Old Man and the Three, which he left to become coach of the Lakers.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Wisconsin cornerback Xavier Lucas (6) is shown during the first quarter of their game against South Dakota Saturday, September 7 , 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Sues Miami for ‘Tampering’ With Football Transfer

Xavier Lucas signed NIL deals in Madison before transferring to Miami.
Jun 19, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) shoots the ball against Indiana Pacers center Tony Bradley (13) during the first half of game six of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Pacers’ Tony Bradley Has Made Just $330K This Year Despite Finals Run

Bradley was signed by the Pacers on March 2 to a 10-day contract.
Apr 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball up court ahead of Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena.

Lakers’ $10B Valuation Is Historic, but Not Surprising. What Happens Next?

Details about the deal’s structure and the team’s future are scarce.

Featured Today

Dec 5, 2024; Miami, FL, USA; FIFA president Gianni Infantino presents the FIFA Club World Cup trophy during the Club Word Cup draw at Telemundo Studios.

Revamped Club World Cup Is FIFA’s Billion-Dollar Gamble

The revamped soccer event debuts amid controversy.
Jun 10, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino stands during the anthem against the Switzerland during the first at Geodis Park
June 14, 2025

Gold Cup Is Complicated for USMNT—but U.S. Soccer Has Its Eyes on..

Uncertain tournament success isn’t fazing forward-looking U.S. soccer.
Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; The Davidson Wildcats student section cheers during the first half against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60.
June 6, 2025

Every College Wants a Flashy Basketball GM Hire Right Now

The role is more important than ever, and the definition is ever-evolving.
August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
June 6, 2025

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
exclusive

LeBron James’s Growing Amazon Ties Could Lead to Prime Role

James has praised Prime’s NBA talent hires for the 2025–26 season.,
June 18, 2025

NBA’s $77B Rights Deal a Major Factor in $10B Lakers Stunner

The league’s rights deal has a lot to do with soaring valuations.
Jun 16, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) is introduced before the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers in game five of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center.
June 19, 2025

NBA Taking Cues From NBA Twitter in Restoring Finals Pageantry

The NBA and ESPN/ABC made several changes on the fly.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Ted Leonsis unpacks basketball’s global rise, media rights, and portfolio ownership.
exclusive
June 18, 2025

Laura Okmin Leaves Fox Sports After 23 Years, Marking End of Era

Okmin told FOS it was her choice to leave Fox.
June 17, 2025

U.S. Open TV Ratings Down 8% After Rain Delay, Underdog Winner

NBC and Peacock averaged 5.4 million viewers for Sunday’s final round.
June 17, 2025

Caitlin Clark Effect Back in Full As Fever-Liberty Draws 2.2 Million Viewers

It was the third-highest-rated WNBA ABC game ever.
opinion
June 16, 2025

Why Does NBA Allow Finals to Get Overshadowed by Trades?

Even ESPN, which airs the Finals, focused largely on a trade over Game 5.