You don’t need to be retired to start your podcast. Besides Pat Beverley, Draymond Green or Andre Iguodala, Paul George is one of the active players who has stepped behind the microphone and he’s doing pretty well. There are rarely any banalities in his shows, and it is also a way for him to share his opinion on the NBA, and the life of a professional athlete. It is also, quite simply, a way of saying what he thinks.
“For a long time, as a young man, you want to say the right things, you want to protect the franchise and your teammates. We want to protect ourselves, our image, our brand…” replied the Clippers winger to Slam. “But we lose sight of the question: Am I really answering this question the way I want to answer it? Am I really expressing the thought or idea that I really want to say? Sometimes after an interview I think, “Damn, I should have said what I really wanted to say.” Or I should have told them what really happened or how it really happened. Or how I really felt. Now with my podcast I can do that. And I think that’s the beauty of it. »
“Great to go back and talk about the things we experienced”
Increasingly, whether via social networks, a podcast or a forum, players want to control their communication without the filter of traditional media. The podcast is also a way to show yourself in your true colors.
“What I found doing this is that it’s very therapeutic, because a lot of the stories that I told, or a lot of the stories that we talked about, were things that I related to. was hanging on and that I hadn’t really managed to get out.” he continues. “Whether it’s good times or bad, it’s therapeutic to talk about certain stories. For example, the conversation we had with DeMar [DeRozan] about playing against each other in high school, I still carry with me how I felt before playing against him in high school, but it was awesome to hear how he felt before to play against me in high school. So conversations like that have been great for thinking about and sharing this story with someone I’m very good friends with, even though we’ve never talked about it. So it was great to go back and talk about the things that we’ve been through and the experiences that we’ve had. Otherwise, we hold on to certain things and are embarrassed about how to share or think about them. »
One thing is certain, Paul George takes this role very seriously, and Slam asks him what he has learned about himself.
“That I wasn’t just good at basketball” he laughs. “Seriously, I knew I could succeed in anything if I took the time. I’m like this: if I’m focused on something, I give my all to be good at it. The podcast field is another element that reinforces this idea for me. I have a lot of fun. Honestly, it’s fun. I never imagined interviewing other players, talking about stories, being in front of a camera as much as I am, especially at this stage of my career. You know, I’ve been through some ups and downs, and I’m enjoying the experience at this point. »
