Benchside Analyst: Navigating NBA's New Broadcast Frontier

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

People Mentioned

• Austin Rivers - NBA analyst who works with Robbie Hummel on NBC's NBA coverage, specifically sitting on the bench during games.
• Noah Eagle - Play-by-play announcer who works with Robbie Hummel on NBC's NBA coverage.
• Michael Grady - Play-by-play announcer who works with Robbie Hummel on NBC's NBA coverage.
• Kenny Atkinson - NBA coach mentioned by Robbie Hummel as being great and accommodating regarding access for the "on the bench" broadcast.
• J.B. Bickerstaff - NBA coach mentioned by Robbie Hummel as being great and accommodating regarding access for the "on the bench" broadcast.
• Jordi Fernandez - NBA coach mentioned by Robbie Hummel as being great and accommodating regarding access for the "on the bench" broadcast.
• Chris Finch - NBA coach mentioned by Robbie Hummel as being great and accommodating regarding access for the "on the bench" broadcast.
• Frank Degrasse - Person in charge of the NBA on NBC, who does legwork to secure access for the "on the bench" broadcast.
• Sam Flood - Boss at NBC Sports, who does legwork to secure access for the "on the bench" broadcast.
• Homer Drew - Former Valparaiso basketball coach for whom Robbie Hummel was a ball boy.
• Bryce Drew - Valparaiso player who made a memorable shot, influencing Robbie Hummel's early interest in college basketball.
• Katin Hono Mobley - Player on a Rhode Island team that beat Valparaiso in the Sweet 16.
• Jim Herrick - Coach of the Rhode Island team that beat Valparaiso in the Sweet 16.
• Udonis Haslem - Miami Heat player cited as the "ultimate example" of a player who extended his career by being a great teammate and leader.
• Bruce Pearl - Coach who recently joined CBS in a broadcasting role alongside Robbie Hummel.
• Lisa Byington - Broadcaster who worked with Robbie Hummel during March Madness.
• Jalen Rose - Broadcaster who worked with Robbie Hummel during March Madness.
• Andy Katz - Broadcaster who worked with Robbie Hummel during March Madness.
• Bill Raftery - Longtime college basketball analyst whom Robbie Hummel admires and tries to emulate.
• Jay Bilas - ESPN broadcaster who was granted permission to call the NCAA Tournament for CBS, which was a significant event in broadcasting circles at the time.
• Dick Enberg - Legendary sportscaster with whom Jay Bilas called a Sweet 16 game.
• Dick Vitale - Famous college basketball broadcaster who wanted to call the NCAA Tournament but was prevented by ESPN for competitive reasons.
• Morry Gash - Robbie Hummel's agent, credited for helping him navigate his early broadcasting career across different networks.
• Mark Bartelstein - Robbie Hummel's basketball agent.
• Miles Simon - Former college basketball player and broadcaster who took a coaching job, creating an opening for Robbie Hummel at ESPN.
• Malachi Branham - Former Ohio State player whose performance significantly changed during a season, making him an example of a player whose scouting report evolves.
• Flip Saunders - Coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves during Robbie Hummel's time there.
• Rick Adelman - Coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves the year before Flip Saunders.
• Ricky Rubio - Player on the Minnesota Timberwolves during Robbie Hummel's time there.
• Kevin Martin - Player on the Minnesota Timberwolves during Robbie Hummel's time there.
• Corey Brewer - Player who was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves during Robbie Hummel's time there.
• J.J. Barea - Player who was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves during Robbie Hummel's time there.
• Thaddeus Young - Player who was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves during Robbie Hummel's time there.
• Kevin Garnett - Player acquired by the Minnesota Timberwolves during Robbie Hummel's time there.
• Wilson Chandler - Player Robbie Hummel guarded in his best NBA game against the Nuggets.
• Dwayne Wade - Analyst who covered the big US Olympic basketball games.
• Sergio Llull - Spanish basketball player Robbie Hummel played against overseas.
• Dennis Schroder - German basketball player mentioned as an example of an NBA player who performs at an exceptional level during international tournaments like the Olympics.
• Pau Gasol - Spanish basketball player from the "golden era" of Spanish basketball, mentioned in the context of the 2008 Olympics.
• Marc Gasol - Spanish basketball player from the "golden era" of Spanish basketball, mentioned in the context of the 2008 Olympics.
• Steph Curry - NBA player who "rescued" the US team in a recent Olympics.
• Grant Hill - Managing Director for the USA Basketball Men's National Team, who faces the challenge of the US team competing in the Olympics.
• Rick Cordella - President of Programming at NBC Sports, whom Robbie Hummel jokingly suggests texting for Olympic staffing.
• Alex Sherman - Guest on a previous episode of the podcast, discussed the YouTube TV, ESPN, and Disney dispute.
• Jeff Pearlman - Guest on a previous episode of the podcast, discussed his book on Tupac Shakur.
• Booger McFarland - Guest on a previous episode of the podcast.
• Danny Weckselman - Guest on a previous episode of the podcast, discussed hosting World Series pre-game shows.
• Jenny Cavnar - Guest on a previous episode of the podcast, discussed hosting World Series pre-game shows.

Organizations & Institutions

• NCAA - Mentioned in the context of the tournament and college basketball.
• NBA - National Basketball Association, for which Robbie Hummel is an analyst.
• NASCAR - Mentioned as a sport that NBC Sports also covers.
• YouTube TV - Mentioned in the context of a dispute with ESPN and Disney.
• ESPN - Media company mentioned in the context of a dispute with YouTube TV and Disney, and where Robbie Hummel had an early broadcasting role.
• Disney - Media company mentioned in the context of a dispute with YouTube TV and ESPN.
• Odyssey - Podcast network mentioned for its support.

Tools & Software

• Synergy - A basketball analytics and video platform that Robbie Hummel uses extensively for game preparation, allowing him to watch specific clips of players.

Other Resources

• Carl Anthony Towns - NBA player for whom the Minnesota Timberwolves were "tanking" during Robbie Hummel's time with the team.
• Zion Williamson - College basketball player whose star power at Duke generated high ratings.
• Caitlin Clark - College basketball player at Iowa whose star power generates high ratings.
• A.J. Dybantsa - High-profile college basketball prospect mentioned as a potential star.
• Darren Peterson - High-profile college basketball prospect mentioned as a potential star.
• Cam Boozer - High-profile college basketball prospect mentioned as a potential star.
• Kofi Cockburn - College basketball player who scored 30 points in a game against Florida.
• Tupac Shakur - Subject of a book discussed on a previous podcast episode.
• World University Games - International multi-sport event where athletes can win gold medals.
• World Cup (Basketball) - International basketball tournament mentioned as a competition where the US does not send its senior national team.
• European Championships (Basketball) - International basketball tournament where European national teams compete.
• 2008 Olympics (Basketball) - Olympic basketball tournament mentioned for the close game between the US and Spain.
• Paris 2024 Olympics - Olympic Games where Robbie Hummel worked as an analyst for NBC Sports, covering non-US games.