Miles Gray and Jack O’Brien are one season into their “Mad Boosties” podcast, where they highlight NBA players and their respective games. They bring a much different approach to sports podcasts than what you’re probably used to. You won’t find any hot takes or controversial opinions here.
“It was the first step-back that almost created a backcourt violation,” said Jack when talking about Jordan Poole’s half-court buzzer-beater in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
“Yeah, that’s not a 3-pointer, that’s a far-pointer,” said Miles while still in awe of the Poole replay.
The “Mad Boosties” podcast is made up of two great friends showing their love for the game and appreciating the players while still playing it.
“It’s not going to be hot take city because that’s just not who we are, in terms of talking about the sport,” Miles said on their unique approach to the podcast style. “It’s like there’s just like a lack of positivity, a lack of celebration, and how hard could it be to celebrate watching professional basketball and saying, ‘Those players are good, that was enjoyable to watch.'”
The podcast was brought to life by the NBA and iHeartMedia to bring NBA fans a new, more conversational sports audio show. However, for the two hosts to get to this point, it was not a straightforward path.
This actually isn’t their first time doing a podcast. They did not initially begin with sports but hosted another podcast about general topics such as the news and daily events. The two saw themselves constantly going back to basketball, and they did the most logical thing: start a podcast solely focused on the NBA. It took them thousands of hours of recording to reach this conclusion.
When they finally decided to start the show, they had a goal in mind. That goal was to celebrate the accomplishments of players and the league as a whole.
This can be seen in how they speak about the advancement of the league and the style of play. Some prefer old-school hoops with more dominant bigs, while others watch the newer game with an emphasis on outside scoring. Jack and Miles, though, just love the game.
“I feel like with the NBA, we’re seeing the best product every single season that hasn’t existed, and so I feel like that’s another thing that I’m just excited about that I don’t hear that many people talking about. I’m just like, doesn’t anybody else see this– I’m so excited to see what the league is like and things like what Ja’s going to look like next year, you know,” said Jack.
For those who haven’t had the chance to listen to the Mad Boosties podcast, along with the positive narrative they bring, you will also be able to hear from some greats and legends of the game. The two had Lakers legend Robert Horry on the show, and he offered behind-the-scenes insight into the NBA and his personal views on playoff games during his tenure with the team.
You will hear all-time greats from the sports world, but there are also notes of comedy in the show. This can especially be seen when comedic great Roy Woods Jr. was on the show to talk sports.
The Mad Boosties are still in their first season but plan to have more interesting characters on the podcast.
“I would love to speak with any player from the league. We said this from the beginning,” Miles said. “I grew up with such a fan of the league. I’m like, oh boy. There’s something very interesting about every single player for me. That’s value to us; there’s value in anybody who’s played in the league.”
While everybody loves to see jaw-dropping plays on offense and hear what was going through a player’s head when they made that shot, the defensive side of the ball is just as important. And if you ask Jack, it’s just as exciting. He wants to speak to top defensive players in the league to get their insight on guarding some of the best scorers of all time.
“I want to talk with Jrue Holiday or one of the players who is a defensive stopper on the wings. I think something that’s underrated is the way guys study the game and study people that they’re going to guard and, like the things that they probably notice, I think if we get somebody to like give us the level of detail,” says Jack. “The amount of genius they’re bringing to that and the amount of analysis they bring into that play that’s another thing that I think would be really cool to talk to a current or former player about.”
They don’t tell listeners about their “sources” or act as if they know what a player will do in free agency or their upcoming season accolades. So, when they say they would like to speak with any NBA player, they mean that they are basketball junkies that want to learn more about the ins and outs of the league. However, Horry was one of the top players that both Jack and Miles wanted on the show.
As fans of the game, Miles and Jack love to hear what the players have to say, even if it’s not necessarily on their show. So, being true lovers of the game, they think the best insight comes from the ones playing the game. The Boosties want to see more players get behind the mic and talk about the game.
“I love JJ Reddick. I just like his sort of clear-headedness– I appreciate his analysis,” said Miles.
Jack doubled down on the love for JJ and is a fan of his type of analysis.
The two are successful podcasters but still have advice for the next generation of fans trying to do what they do.
“I always have developed content by trying to create the thing that you want to see out there that’s not there,” says Jack. “So that’s talking about what gets me inspired about our show. It’s the things that I didn’t see, like the hot take economy.”
“You know, even in the analysis shows, and just trying to hit that tone, but trust your taste.”
Miles also shared his words of wisdom with future podcasters.
“The lesson I learned from just working with Jack is just to trust your instincts. If you really believe that you want to do something and are motivated and inspired to do it, that’s really important. See what’s out there and where are the gaps, like even if you’re playing sports, finding a spot to be open because if everyone’s on one side, you’ll really stand out. By doing something different, especially if you believe in it and don’t just do something different for the sake of doing something different, like try and look at what’s out there, see what is and isn’t there, and how can you fill that with your voice authentically.”
When listening to a duo, you think it’s a trio, and you’re talking with them. The Mad Boosties have a unique, calm yet engaging approach to their show, and they are quickly gaining traction. If you are a lover of the game and enjoy hearing the positives and not always the negatives of the players, check out the Mad Boosties podcast hosted by Jack and Miles!
