Until a few weeks ago, I had never listened to a podcast like Mind the Game, the latest media venture from athlete empowerment brand Uninterrupted, featuring JJ Redick and LeBron James.
These days there are podcasts narrated by hosts of any genre you want, about anything you want to look for. The medium has largely moved away from writing, and video can be inconvenient during a busy commute or when you're trying to kill time between long, demanding jobs. Podcasts fill that gap, allowing anyone to talk about anything to any audience, and all they need is a microphone.
For sports fans, the podcast space has historically been dominated by fans and media, offering diverse and valuable perspectives, but lacking the on-court experience that only players can provide. The content is primarily organized around theories and rumors in the leagues and their teams selected by the organizers. It can be funny at times, but it can also get repetitive, depending a lot on the host's charisma and interpretation.
So what makes Mind the Game so different? It starts with HR. LeBron is LeBron. He is arguably one of the best players and biggest names in basketball, going from a former 18-year-old draft pick to a great NBA player with 21 seasons of tenure. Redick had a long tenure as well, with him spending 15 seasons with different teams in the NBA, making him one of the greatest shooters in the game.
After retiring in 2021, Reddick became one of the biggest names in sports podcasting with his podcast, The Old Man and the Three. On his podcast, he invites coaches and players to share stories and talk basketball.
In “Mind the Game,” the story takes a backseat. His X (formerly his Twitter) account for the podcast describes it as a “celebration of the sport as they discuss the current state of the game, analyze the X's and O's, and wax poetic about the game they love.” ” explains.
So far, the podcast has been just that. From James and Redick's explanations of advanced basketball action to how player personnel change the way a team approaches offense and defense, the emphasis is on the game rather than the story.
Needless to say, this is good for the basketball conversation and should make a real long-term difference. As someone whose social media feed consists almost entirely of college and professional basketball, it's nearly impossible for me to seriously participate in the discussion.
Almost every conversation devolves into an argument that assumes which side of the story the participants are on. Throughout its two episodes, “Mind the Game” is a complete breath of fresh air from that kind of conversation, with the hosts doing exactly what they set out to do. This means they are extremely happy and show their love and appreciation for the game. Successful.
Most of the casual basketball discussion stems from the stories people paint about how much they hate the state of support. James and Reddick choose to do the opposite.
Another big part of this is explaining the game to a more casual audience. The average person, or even the average NBA fan, is unlikely to understand terms like “blind pig” or “stacked pick-and-roll,” and James explains a series of complex defensive shifts. I'm sure you can't understand what I'm saying when you do that. I would like to see it during a traditional baseline out-of-bounds play.
But the staff at Uninterrupted goes above and beyond to make this kind of talk a delight through graphs and clips of what the hosts are explaining, which in turn increases the knowledge of the podcast's listeners. It doesn't hurt to have someone like James, who so many people look up to, be the voice for this type of basketball conversation.
We're only two episodes in, but there's already a lot to learn from James and Reddick, who clearly explain why basketball is the most beautiful game ever created.
Logan Adams is a second-year journalism student. Please note that the views and opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of columnists. post. Want to talk more about it?Tweet us to let Logan know @LoganA_NBA.
