I am always telling people that we are lucky to live in an age where you have the tools to achieve anything you want to. All you need is passion, determination and the ability to work hard. This morning I read a story that brought a smile to my face and it highlights EXACTLY what I’ve been raving on about for the last couple of years.
If you didn’t know by now, I am a huge NBA fan – I’ve loved basketball since turning 16 and in the last couple of years I have barely missed a Chicago Bulls Game (NBA League Pass is my savior). Last season I stumbled upon a podcast called ‘The Basketball Jones’ (TBJ), the set up seemed simple enough… a few Canadian friends and an Australian dude sat around each day chatting about the games from the previous night. Unlike most NBA press coverage there are no barriers to the show, it doesn’t feel staged and ultra-professional, it feels like you’re sat around with your mates picking apart the night before and having a laugh while you do it. What is most impressive about the podcast is it’s huge community of fans who absolutely love what TBJ is all about.
So, why am I writing about a basketball podcast on my site? Well, to answer that – you need to understand the origins of TBJ. The show started as a few friends recording it every week out of one of their houses. They created something from nothing, and lo and behold achieved a small audience. The amount of work that would have gone into producing a weekly podcast, for just this small audience, would have been monumental. But the guys just kept at it, they were passionate about what they were doing – and determined to make it work. I found this hugely inspiring, as it reminded me of Kane and I starting Giraffe. Unfortunately, my feel-good mood wouldn’t last long.
Sadly at the end of last season, I was informed that my new favourite podcast was leaving and would hopefully return in some new form which was currently a mystery to even the boys at TBJ it would seem. I was pretty gutted as it all sounded a little uncertain.
This morning I wake up and read that TBJ is no more, because, get this… It’s been picked up by the NBA itself! Say what?! A podcast started in someone’s house, by some mates, has been picked up by the NBA – and it is going to be turned into a daily TV show called ‘The Starters’?! Amazing. I’m so pleased for all of the team, because I know they work so hard on the show and give it all for their fans. They have earned this, and I’m so psyched to see the new format.
If you want something enough, and you love what you do – you can achieve anything. Just ask the guys at TBJ, new NBA TV show ‘The Starters’.
