1 Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson & Darius Miles
Why: These 2 guys get straight to the point. You can tell they really love basketball and they don't play politics in how they approach subjects. Although they’re former NBA players - they really light up when they talk about high school basketball. They talk about the process from a player’s standpoint and they are able to give you a lot of insight on other players that were coming up at that time.
2 The Old Man and the Three with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter
Why: These 2 guys mostly talk about NBA basketball. The fact that JJ Redick is currently playing in the NBA sets this podcast apart from the others. This gives the listener a little more up to date information and real-time access to current players. If I was a young player - I believe I could learn a lot from this podcast.
3 The No Chill Podcast (Gilbert Arenas)
Why: Gilbert Arenas is not only funny and unfiltered but he has a lot of basketball knowledge. He could easily be a player development coach (on offense only). This is another good podcast to listen to if you're looking to improve your game. I would love to see him evaluate tape of players to break down their individual skills.
4 Jalen and Jacoby
Why: Now that they are on SportsCenter it’s sort of unfair to put them on this list. Their swagg is on 100 though. They find a way to integrate hip hop with sports talk and Jalen Rose being a former player gives him a lot of access to behind the scenes things we want to know about. From a pure entertainment standpoint - they might have the best podcast on this list but, they’re also handicapped a bit because they are so mainstream.
5 All the Smoke (Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson)
Why: Most of their shows are interviews and they touch on a lot of things that are not basketball related. They’re still entertaining and Matt has some pretty good interviewing skills. I’m waiting for them to interview something that they don't agree with, someone that will challenge their ideals.