Shaquille O’Neal is launching a revamped weekly podcast titled The Big Podcast with Shaq, bringing the content to Playmaker HQ. As part of the deal, O’Neal is also collaborating with the company to create his own content sphere under “The Big Podcast Network,” following a similar model to what various former athletes have done to leverage their reach and relevance.
O’Neal’s podcast is co-hosted by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports personality Adam Lefkoe and produced by award-winning producer Shaine Freeman. Fans will be able to watch the show utilizing the Bleacher Report app, Max, YouTube and other podcast providers including Apple and Spotify.
The podcast network is set to develop, produce and disseminate several content offerings focused on subject matter such as sports, business, entertainment and more. This content will be produced by Playmaker’s internal production team while collaborating with Jersey Legends Productions, O’Neal’s production company.
“I’m excited to work with Playmaker, a creative partner with a unique production and distribution process, to create my own podcast network,” Shaquille O’Neal said in a statement. “The Big Podcast Network will prioritize and uplift fresh and diverse voices that will expand the conversation beyond sports to include music, fashion and entertainment.”
Upon his retirement from the National Basketball Association in 2011, O’Neal joined Inside the NBA as the fourth member of the panel and has brought his unique insights and ability to entertain to the set on a weekly basis. He has also hosted a variety of podcasts in the past and is now set to return to the space with this new content partnership.
“From our first conversation, our visions were perfectly aligned, with both sides wanting to make a fun, creative and authentic show, as well as wanting to build a full-service platform to help other athletes build their own successful content platforms,” Brandon Harris, Playmaker HQ president and chief content officer, said in a statement. “Our audience already loves Shaq, and we can’t wait for them to get to know him even better through this platform. Even more importantly, we couldn’t be more excited to be a driving force behind even more athlete entrepreneurship success stories together with our new network.”
