The connection between sports betting and podcasting may not be as tight as they once were with companies like Barstool Sports and Blue Wire scaling back their ties with gaming companies. But podcasts are still seen as an opportunity, as evidenced by a new show created by DraftKings, which has teamed up with the sports talent agency Klutch Sports Group and Ruby – iHeartMedia’s branded content studio. They are launching a new weekly basketball-focused series that will run the remaining 16-weeks of the NBA season.
Point Game with John Wall and C.J. Toledano will give an insider’s look at the league and the culture surrounding it. Wall is a five-time NBA All-Star and No. 1 pick in the 2010 Draft, who will give his unique perspective on the hottest topics in the league and share stories from his own experiences as a player.
“There are a lot of things that I’ve been through in my life that people don’t know – the stories both on and off the court and the connections I’ve made with people along the way,” said Wall. “I just love the game of basketball, and it's given me so much, so I am going to give you the real. I’m excited and grateful for this platform to share more of my journey and my story.”
Toledano is a writer, director, comedian, basketball Twitter personality and founder of Follow Through Studio, who will bring his comedic takes while discussing the news all basketball fans – and insiders – are talking about. Each episode will also feature current and former basketball legends as well as A-list comedians who will bring their own views and takes to the mix.
“There’s not much in life that I love more than hanging out and talking basketball, so the fact that I get to do that with one of the game’s most legendary point guards is incredible,” said Toledano. “Also as a fan, I’m sort of tired of the usual talking heads so it’s going to be awesome chopping it up with a superstar who’s actually been in the league very recently. I just hope he doesn’t get annoyed by me asking what the Lakers should do every week.”
Founded in 2012 by CEO Rich Paul, Black-owned and women-led Klutch Sports Group represents some of the world’s biggest athletes in major professional sports. Point Game is distributed by iHeartPodcasts with new episodes each Tuesday. In addition to the weekly audio episode, a video podcast will be available on the DraftKings YouTube Channel.
Ruby was launched in May 2023 as iHeart looked to capture its share of growing interest by brands in creating their own content. The Ruby team reportedly has more than a dozen staff members. In addition to full-fledged shows, the division is also creating extended content-heavy ads that some marketers now see as more effective since they can be tucked inside a show with a big audience rather than trying to amass a large listenership for their own show.
The audio studio has partnered with a catalog of hosts, including “Saturday Night Live’” cast member and co-host of the hit Las Culturistas podcast Bowen Yang, as well as “Good Morning America” co-host Robin Roberts, Pushkin Industries and Revisionist History podcast host Malcolm Gladwell, and Betty Who and Adam Devine of “Pitch Perfect” and “Workaholics'' fame.