NBA veterans Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles on their podcast Knuckleheads, evolving media panorama

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Former NBA teammates Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles are greatest buddies who’ve co-hosted Knuckleheads since 2019, a basketball-focused podcast from The Gamers’ Tribune whose friends have spanned a few of the sport’s greatest previous and present stars and Corridor of Famers. Interview friends have included the late Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Patrick Ewing, Ray Allen, Julius Erving, Oscar Robertson, Jayson Tatum, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Steph Curry, Mark Cuban, the WNBA’s Sue Fowl and A’ja Wilson, Gamers’ Tribune founder Derek Jeter, and the record goes on.

Richardson and Miles have been each drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000 and have been topics of the 2004 documentary The Youngest Weapons. Miles performed eight NBA seasons by means of 2009 whereas Richardson, the 2005 Three-Level Contest champion, performed his closing NBA season with the New York Knicks in 2013. Each Miles and Richardson are skeptics of whether or not as we speak’s load administration requirements are literally benefiting NBA gamers, a sentiment just lately echoed by former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy and Kevin Durant.

The Knuckleheads podcast has surpassed 10 million downloads and its most up-to-date episode options JJ Redick, the previous NBA sharpshooter turned fellow podcast host and ESPN analyst. Miles and Richardson have additionally debuted a POAP (Proof of Attendance Protocol) NFT that provides their podcast listeners behind-the-scenes entry to content material and equipment and serves as a digital collectible for sure episodes.

On as we speak’s entry to restoration and efficiency applied sciences in comparison with their enjoying days. . .

Darius Miles: That shit was international. In comparison with what they obtained now, simply the Game Ready. I do not know if you understand what the Recreation Prepared is, it is like an ice machine that you would be able to ice all of your ligaments and all of your limbs with. I keep in mind when Recreation Prepared first got here out to now while you see the brand new Recreation Prepared—it is like tremendous new and improved—it appears prefer it’s about to remodel.

Quentin Richardson: Recreation Prepared ain’t even like that no extra. There are such a lot of various things which have come out, Cryotherapy and all of that stuff. Like the wearables, man we did not even have these. Darius stopped enjoying in 2010 and I ended in 2013. I labored with the Detroit Pistons [from 2014 to 2016]. To see them are available in with the with the little packs the place they’ll measure how a lot they practiced and load manage in follow, and restoration, it is loopy. They obtained like little jerseys with a bit slot [for the wearable device]. The expertise is wonderful that they’ve now with the knowledge that is given. We actually simply missed that I’d say.

On how load management efforts might be harming NBA participant sturdiness . . .

QR: In my view, our technology, we do not actually relate with that [load management]. We all the time wished to play. We wished to play all the video games and play all of, if not many of the minutes. So I suppose with the upswing of expertise and all the obtainable data, they’re making an attempt to do one of the best factor for the gamers, and I am all the time for that. However the query I’d ask while you discuss that and while you take a look at it, I really feel these guys are extra harm than we ever have been. With all this load administration is to me, like the place’s the serving to?

You look most likely previous our technology, a few of them just like the technology perhaps proper earlier than ours, a few of these guys you see them stroll and you are like ‘rattling they’re form of tousled from enjoying by means of issues and doing various things.’ However not numerous us are like that in our technology, and we performed. In order that’s my solely query to ask while you take a look at that and discuss load administration — I do not know the numbers or what they’re on this technology in comparison with ours. With all of this data and all this expertise and all the things being a lot on the upswing, you’ll suppose these guys are averaging 70-75 video games per 12 months, and that is not taking place. I really feel like we had extra guys obtainable frequently and a extra constant foundation than what is going on on with all of these things. That is why I am confused. That is earlier than you get to the followers and paying for tickets and issues like that. I am simply saying as a participant I am wanting like I do not actually get it.

DM: [laughs] I agree with Q.

On the evolving media panorama in comparison with their enjoying days . . .

DM: The very last thing I assumed I might be doing is media — cameras and microphones. [Today] you see much more freedom of speech, much more individuals organising their very own issues, doing their very own reveals. You get different opinions as a substitute of the fundamental opinions you get off of CNN or ESPN or the information. So individuals organising their very own stuff. I take pleasure in it in that sense.

QR: I’d say the identical. Social media has exploded, and all people principally obtained a voice, all people is making their very own reveals and podcasts.

On interviewing athletes and returning to in-person interviews after Covid-19 compelled Zoom . . .

DM: It is probably not a bond, it is extra of the power within the room. Each time we interview an individual, whether or not it is an previous individual or a brand new individual, we’re excited to interview this individual. We already talked about interviewing this individual. And the power within the room, it was arduous after we have been within the pandemic, since you could not actually really feel that power within the room. However after we interview individuals, from the time they stroll by means of the door, the power is there to do one thing nice and have an incredible interview.

It was a fast and straightforward course of to go to Zoom. However as quickly as we felt like individuals was okay with us being in the identical room as them, we transitioned again to doing in individual interviews.

QR: I really feel like once they come by means of the door, we now have that bond as athletes. Whether or not it is soccer, basketball, baseball, no matter kind of athlete or no matter, we have been that individual that had someone sticking the microphone in our face asking us questions and stuff like that. So we come from a place that we sat in that very same seat. We’re former gamers first.

On a few of their favourite interview friends . . .

DM: One that stands proud to me is we dropped KG [Kevin Garnett] as our first episode for season 10. And that is a man I appeared as much as for a very long time, making an attempt to attempt to comply with in his footsteps. To get and get Kobe [Bryant], I used to be actually excited and geeked for that.

QR: I all the time defer to Kobe as a result of clearly the scenario. Nevertheless it’s actually arduous to say what is the favourite as a result of after we genuinely have an superior time each trip. We simply sat with Dominique [Wilkins], someone who we each appeared as much as from for a very long time. And it is like while you get to take a seat with these completely different individuals, all of them are superior. To take a seat with Dr. J [Julius Erving] or Ice Man [George Gervin]. That is one thing that you simply by no means even would have fathomed rising up. We did not ever suppose that we have been going to be doing something in media or something like that. For all intents and functions, we’d by no means even suppose that we’d get to have conversations with these individuals. We’re like youngsters in a sweet retailer. We’ve all the time been big followers earlier than, throughout and now after we have been within the league, so it is a enjoyable factor to have the ability to do.

On the evolution of basketball’s enjoying fashion . . .

DM: I feel they’re gonna have a four-point line with how deep all these guys are taking pictures the ball [laughs]. So I feel it is in good fingers. I feel LeBron, Chris Paul and [only] a number of others are guys that we truly performed towards, so it is form of like we’re seeing a brand new technology coming round now.

QR: Clearly it is completely different than after we play however I am nonetheless a fan of it I take pleasure in it an incredible deal. These dudes is loopy gifted, loopy expert. From high to backside there’s most likely extra gifted and expert gamers all through the entire league. It is numerous superstars proper now, there’s just about good parity so far as you do not actually know precisely who’s gonna win. The sport has exploded internationally. We simply had Hedo Turkoglu on our present the opposite day and have been speaking to him about it. There’s extra expertise, extra guys coming from all around the globe versus simply right here within the States greater than ever now. The sport has gone international. I imply, the ’92 Dream Staff was form of the kickoff, clearly it was occurring earlier than however I feel it exploded after that.