Former National Basketball Association forwards Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner are bringing their hit podcast, Point Forward, to Vox Media and SB Nation for its third season. The duo will release weekly episodes of the show on various audio distribution platforms in addition to their YouTube channel, which has nearly 60,000 subscribers. The partnership will give fans a look at life as an NBA player on and off the court and how the game has changed over the years with thought-provoking, insightful conversation. Meadowlark Media had produced, monetized and help distributed the podcast for its first two seasons on the air.
“Andre and Evan have reached some of the highest levels of success both on and off the court, and we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to partner with them in bringing Point Forward to the SB Nation family,” Jermaine Spradley, publisher at SB Nation, said in a statement. “We’re always looking for partnerships that allow us to connect influential creators with the most loyal sports fans, and we plan to bring Point Forward to life at the biggest sports moments during the NBA season to engage even further with the community that SB Nation was founded upon.”
Episodes will be released starting in October and will feature discussions between the two co-hosts and special guest appearances. Over the first two seasons of the show, athletes such as Stephen Curry and Sue Bird, along with LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Vista Equity Partners founder and chairman Robert Smith, have appeared on the program for interviews. Whether the discourse centers on sports stories, business advice or motivation, both Iguodala and Turner will grant viewers an exclusive look into the way they think and set themselves up for sustained success.
“Point Forward has always been about diving deeper into topics that resonate with our audience, and now with the unparalleled reach and expertise of SB Nation and Vox Media, we’re excited to take our conversations to an even wider audience,” Iguodala said in a statement. “Basketball is our north star, but our conversations are universal.”
“Having been on both sides of the game – as a player and a coach – I’ve come to appreciate the myriad stories that exist within the world of sports,” Turner added in a statement. “Andre and I have always had raw and honest discussions, and now we have a platform that will allow us to reach fans, thinkers, and enthusiasts on an even greater scale. The next season is set to be our best yet, and we’re thrilled to embark on this journey with SB Nation and Vox Media.”
The third season of the show will include presenting sponsor DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sports betting operator of the show. Additionally, there are opportunities to integrate additional sponsors into the program, which has Vox Media and SB Nation assuming sales, marketing and distribution responsibilities as part of the deal.
The business entity will also collaborate with Iguodala and Turner to explore new ways to appeal and entertain the audience throughout the NBA season. With this deal, the show officially joins the Vox Media Podcast Network, which continues to grow and includes premium offerings from luminaries and experts, including Sam Sanders, Preet Bharara and Esther Perel among others.
