There’s no shortage of podcasts about the NBA. With mobile phone and affordable video technology, anyone that has something to say, can put together a podcast in a day.

That doesn’t mean you should do it. With millions of NBA fans around the world, it’s no surprise that many actively follow and even bet on upcoming games. To get the best NBA tips to bet on, bettors can utilize multiple forms of information to get the latest NBA updates and predictions

During this time of quarantine and no real NBA action to speak of (yet), one of the best ways to consume insights and analysis for anything regarding the NBA is subscribing to high quality podcasts hosted by players, former players, journalists and other industry experts. Like we said, there’s a lot of podcasts to sift through, so in order to help you find that right NBA podcast to invest your time into, here’s a quick rundown of podcasts you should listen to (spoiler: listen to podcasts by and for NBA players).

The Best NBA podcasts

The Hoop Collective Even with no big name guests on the show, this one is a must-listen for me. My favorite NBA podcast is hosted by Brian Windhorst and often co-starred with Jackie MacMullan and Tim MacMahon. The team work very well with one another and this podcast strikes a great balance of entertainment, real insider knowledge and history, as well as NBA player, team and league analysis. This is one of the more mature NBA podcasts out there and Windhorst knows what real NBA heads want. Though they can easily speak to Larry Bird Rights, television contracts, and the boring details of the business of basketball, they purposely never get too deep into those weeds and focus on what people want to hear.

The Knuckleheads Hosted by Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson, this podcast won me over with their format. The two former NBA players always have current and former players sitting across from them. They just talk ball, other players they ran into in AAU or playing high school, giving respect to players that never made it in the league (Omar Cook and others), the league, and relationships. All this comes with genuine joy and insider knowledge that flows organically.

The JJ Redick Podcast  Another player podcast that gets it right and strikes the right tone. Thoughtful, political and full of behind-the-scenes insights, Redick’s podcast often features his teammates and fellow players as guests. Recent players that have been on the show include Rex Chapman, Jrue Holiday, Jamal Crawford, Malcolm Brogdon, Kara Lawson, and Lonzo Ball. The only downside to JJ”s podcast is that they often delve a little too deep into the culinary/foodie scene. As much as I enjoy that industry and exploring restaurants when in different cities, even for me there’s times when it’s a bit much.

All the Smoke Hosted by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, this is a casual podcast for ballers. Intelligent, thoughtful and shows a a more laid back side to Barnes and Jackson that NBA fans might not be accustomed to. If you have an hour or two and just chilling, this one is a great one to get into. The two aren’t in any rush, but if you stick with them, you’ll be rewarded with player insights and opinions on topics around culture, race, often with great guests like Draymond Green, Bradley Beal, Tracy McGrady, Penny Hardaway, Steve Nash, Ja Morant and Gary Payton. It’s not a coincidence these players choose to be guests with the well-respected Barnes and Jackson. My only problem with this pod is that it’s slow moving, so one doesn’t get much from All the Smoke in a 15-20 minute commute.

The Jump This one is kind of a cheat because the pod is essentially clipped audio from seasoned NBA reporter Rachel Nichols’ ESPN’s televised show The Jump.  What makes this podcast great is the more casual tone Nichols, a great moderator and host, sets that’s both informational and topical. Often accompanied by Amin Elhassan and a great lineup of guests of former NBA players, industry insiders and analysts. You can catch this podcast show weekly on all major podcast platforms. P.S. The good thing about the podcast is you don’t have to listen to Nichol’s corny monologue at the beginning of the televised version.

Dunc’d On For those of you who are looking for an analytics focused podcast, Dunc’d On might just be what you’re searching for. Hosted by industry experts, Nate Duncan and Danny Leroux, this NBA podcast is one of the most serious and in-depth contender on the list. Dunc’d On is a 90 minute show and has episodes five times a week. If you want a deep dive on the game themselves, this is the podcast for you.

The NBA Podcast Next in this lineup is the NBA Podcast hosted by sports experts, Bryan Toporek and Morten Stig Jensen. If you’re looking for a podcast that gives you the full rundown on what goes on and off the basketball court, this podcast is a great contender. You can get the latest NBA updates straight from industry insiders. The NBA Podcast uploads weekly on all major podcast platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcast.

The Worst NBA podcasts

The Lowe Post Hosted by basketball columnist Zach Lowe, this podcast is insufferable because of the namesake. His mostly-terrible takes and even worse bro-jokes makes it the most unaware, cringeworthy and corniest mainstream NBA podcast. Not even with a rotation of some top-class guests such as Chris Bosh, Caron Butler, Alex Caruso, Danny Ainge and Charles Barkley can make you subscribe. You’re there for the guest, but the problem is that you have to deal with Lowe. Of all the NBA podcasts, I just can’t sit and listen to this one.

No Dunks (formerly The Starters) I really loved J.E. Skeets when he was at Yahoo Sports covering the NBA. What a great guy. However, when Skeets brought his fratboy buddies together onto his The Starters show (and podcast), it centered around stupidity, inane jokes and basketball takes from people that very clearly weren’t hoopers. We’re up for good time and having fun, but they seemed to prioritize their OWN fun over actual quality content.

The No Chill Podcast We hate placing a player podcast on the worst list but Gilbert Arenas‘ attempt at a podcast doesn’t seem to serve anyone but Gilbert Arenas, his bad opinions, and his odd reality. I’ve tried listening to No Chill a few times and often find myself either completely bored, irritated or both because there’s very little for the listener.

Woj Pod Adrian Wojnarowski might be the most-connected journalist in the league, but his podcast lacks any personality. Even as he brings in big names in the league like Raptors President Masai Ujiri, Jeff Can Gundy, Doris Burke and Tom Thibodeau, the pod isn’t very interesting from a basketball player perspective and lacks a heartbeat.

The Bill Simmons Podcast I want to like Bill Simmons and his podcast because his show often provides insightful and sometimes-entertaining NBA breakdowns on the regular, but there’s something about the Founder of The Ringer that just doesn’t work for us.

Though we have favorite podcasts that are journalist-led, we have big love and respect for the podcasts that feature and are hosted by current and former players — why? They give fans what they want — behind the scenes and opinions on everything NBA from those that actually experience it on the court and off.

If you’re in need of a little NBA entertainment, podcasts are a great way to educate yourself or to pass the time with during a commute or when just chilling at home. With so many options, we hope we were able to give you a some insight into what’s out there. And this is just a sample of the ones we’ve listened to. Check out a few of the best from the above and check out some smaller pods not listed.