JJ Redick — How Curiosity Built the Podcast Star and His Growing Media Empire

This week’s episode of The Game Plan features New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard JJ Redick, who is also the co-founder of ThreeFourTwo Productions.

In our conversation . . .

• Redick explains how he had to move his off-season training session to 7 a.m. to accommodate a busy day that included speaking to a Stanford Business School class in the morning and hosting two guests of his own later in the day—not to mention making sure that his sons, 4-year-old Kai and 6-year-old Knox, got enough dad time.

• Redick tells the story behind him becoming the first active professional athlete to launch his own podcast. While commonplace today, it was anything but for athletes to publicly explore their interests outside the game just four short years ago, much less broadcast them to the world.

• Fast forward to today: Redick has recorded more than 125 podcast episodes and has over 170,000 subscribers on YouTube. His new show, The Old Man and The Three, features guests such as NBA teammates like Zion Williamson, presidential candidates and Hollywood stars.

• Few media personalities, much less professional athletes, are able to unlock the human and emotional side of their guests like Redick. When asked what makes this possible, he said, “Reps are the biggest key . . . you get a few under your belt, you figure out what works, what doesn’t work, and you get a little bit of confidence. You feel stronger about your own creative performance and you keep building and keep growing from there.”

• It is through meticulous dedication to his craft that Redick has grown such a passionate following. To that end, we also discuss the importance of him owning his production company, which will produce new shows along with his co-host, Tommy Alter, and production partner, Cadence13.

• As for his basketball career and his upcoming 15th season, Redick has no plans of slowing down anytime soon: “The one obsession that I’ve never gotten sick of, that I’ve never gotten tired of, the rabbit hole that I have no desire to ever climb out of—that’s playing basketball. Shooting a basketball and watching that ball go through the net . . . there’s no better feeling in the world to me.”

• You can follow JJ Redick on Twitter (@JJ_redick) and Instagram (@JJredick). Subscribe to The Old Man and the Three podcast wherever you listen to The Game Plan. Click here to listen >>>

About The Game Plan

The Game Plan is a weekly SportTechie podcast hosted by venture capitalists Jay Kapoor and Tim Katt. The show features professional athletes and their business interests beyond sports.

You can follow us on Twitter (@thegameplanshow) and Instagram (@gameplanshow) for show news and updates, to recommend guests, and for bonus content! Follow co-hosts Jay Kapoor (@JayKapoorNYC) and Tim Katt (@Tim_Katt) for all things sports, media, tech, and venture capital.

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