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If it feels like every NBA star has a podcast… you’re not wrong. Current and former NBA greats, such as Gilbert Arenas, are dominating the podcast space. Gil's Arena, produced by Underdog, currently boasts 1.1 million YouTube subscribers and counting. A key part of that success stems from Arenas' collaborative chemistry with his creative team, led by Josiah Johnson, the pod's executive producer and host.
I spoke with Johnson about the explosion of popularity in the NBA podcast space, and what separates Gil's Arena from the rest of the crowded field.
Johnson's name, or at least his moniker, is already familiar to many basketball fans — he's the internet-proclaimed “King of NBA Twitter”. If you didn't already know Josiah Johnson from his spot-on memes and pop cultural tweets that have lit up #NBATwitter for much of the past decade, with throngs of famous fans including LeBron James and Jordan Peele, his online persona was recently immortalized in a semi-fictional buddy comedy/documentary film “Memes & Nightmares” (available to stream on Hulu).
But Josiah has taken that brush with fame and ventured out into other creative pursuits, including hosting and executive producing Gil's Arena. Johnson attributes the rise in popularity of NBA player-hosted pods to the fact that “it gives them an opportunity to control their narrative, to tell their story and do things how they want to do it.”
According to Johnson, players producing their own shows gives them the chance to “leverage their own brands, to create and build platforms for themselves,” outside of the traditional media outlets like past generations' of stars.
Johnson knows very well the in's and out's of navigating the bridge between old and new sports media — besides playing for UCLA basketball from 2001-2005, Johnson is also the son of Bucks legend and TV analyst Marques Johnson.
Josiah points to the casual nature of the podcast setting as another reason for its appeal. Basketball commentators are often clad in suits and ties on traditional TV outlets to appear more professional, but Johnson says podcast viewers today are looking for something different.
“The reality is, nowadays, they want to see people that look like them, dress like them, and talk like them,” Johnson explains.
Gil's Arena shoots from Gilbert Arenas' basement, which Johnson, always ready with a pop cultural allusion, jokes gives the show “a Wayne's World type feel to it.”
Johnson elaborated that “When you're on a couch with a bunch of former players, people who have been through the same experiences that you have, have a lot of the same shared interests and emotions… I think it makes the people that we bring on, and the conversations we have, a lot more comfortable, intimate, informative… and it just provides another angle from walking onto a big sound stage in a three-piece suit.”
In terms of how to stand out in a crowded NBA podcast landscape, Johnson is quick to praise the other popular basketball pods out there, and insists there's room for everyone to help each other build an audience and thrive.
As for how Gil's Arena accomplishes that, “that's just indicative of Gil — the grind, the work ethic, bringing it every single day…” Johnson explains. Coupled with Josiah's drive as executive producer and host to match Gil's energy and “grind to want to be successful,” they've built a thriving collaboration and online community together.
But maintaining and growing a popular NBA podcast is every bit as tough — if not tougher — than it is to play in the NBA. Somehow, Josiah Johnson and Gilbert Arenas have defied the odds and cracked the code for success, and for that a new generation of basketball fans is extremely grateful.
