When Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively wasn’t participating in Panini Rising Stars activities during All-Star Weekend in February, he could be seen walking around with a mic conducting player interviews. One of the players he interviewed was Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who Lively and the Mavs will try to take down in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday (8:30 ET, ABC).
Lively was part of the NBA Player Correspondent Program, which gives players the opportunity to attend events such as All-Star Weekend, NBA Finals and NBA Draft, among others, to serve as media correspondents.
Jabari Smith Jr., Amen and Ausar Thompson, Keyonte George and Brandin Podziemski will serve as the NBA Finals correspondents this year, bringing fans on-the-ground coverage directly to NBA social platforms.
Other notable past participants of the program include:
- CJ McCollum
- Scottie Barnes
- Tyrese Maxey
- Myles Turner
- Donovan Mitchell
- Deandre Ayton
- Jaren Jackson Jr.
- Paolo Banchero
- Jalen Williams
- Walker Kessler
- Bennedict Mathurin
- Channing Frye
- Vince Carter
- Caron Butler
- Gary Payton
- Quentin Richardson
NBA.com caught up with SVP of entertainment and player marketing, Michael Levine, who helps spearhead the program.
Editor’s Note: The following conversation has been condensed and edited.
NBA.com: Since you helped create the NBA Player Correspondent Program, you’re the perfect person to drop some knowledge on what it’s all about. What do you hope the correspondents learn from participating in the program?
Levine: The reality is that we want to work with our players in unique ways in which they can be perceived positively. We are giving them access to this type of platform, not only from a content standpoint, but from being on the NBA’s biggest stage. This is where they aspire to be one day.
This program really gives players an opportunity to do four things. One, is to build their social profile. We want to keep the momentum from their season going, and get them back in the spotlight.
Two, we also want them to understand the business of the NBA, and specifically the NBA Entertainment side. So, they’re seeing how we cover the Finals from a broadcasting perspective, photos perspective, original content, etc. I think when they go back to their markets, they then have a greater awareness of how things work. They leave with a better sense of how the NBA operates.
Three, is relationship building. So getting to know the people, the league office, our broadcast partners, our global partners, will help all of us build this game. This knowledge then leads to a more trusting and cooperative relationship.
Lastly, seeing the NBA Finals, this is where they hope to be. So all those things went into play as we were developing it. And the program has just gotten bigger and bigger over the years.
Off the top of your head, do you remember who was the first person in the program?
It was CJ McCollum in June of 2015. He actually did it that year and in 2016. In 2015, he stayed for two media days. He interviewed Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. The program has changed over the years, but that was the first media day. CJ majored in Journalism at Lehigh so getting into this space was an ideal opportunity for him.
Some impressive names have come through the program since then. Vince Carter, Gary Payton, Donovan Mitchell, Myles Turner to name a few.
We’ve had veterans that were looking to get on air experience towards the end of their career, as they were exploring a potential post career in broadcasting. So, it was an opportunity for them to sort of get their feet wet. Channing Frye, Vince Carter, Caron Butler … these are all guys that wanted to try to get into broadcasting. And we wanted to give them the stage and the opportunity as well.
There are five budding players for the first four games of the Finals. Game 1: Jabari Smith, Jr.; Game 2: The Thompson Twins; Game 3: Keyonte George; Game 4: Brandin Podziemski. What type of training will they get ahead of time?
We have calls and try to engage with them prior to being on site, to explain what they’re going to be doing and cultivate a level of comfort. When they arrive on site, we have experts from our social media team that work directly with them as well.
I wouldn’t say there is a lot of training per se, because we want their personality to simply just come out and be showcased through this. While we do write up some questions, we also give them the opportunity to ask their own. We have even had several players pop into press conferences. So from a training perspective, there’s not much [but] a little bit of guidance.
How does a player get chosen for the program?
There’s not an exact science to it. The reality is that we look at players that have expressed an interest in working more closely with us off the court and who have achieved success on the court. That on court success is essential. So if you look at some of the players that we’ve worked with, they have had accolades on the court, which can in turn allow them some free time to devote to other opportunities off of it.
Do you have a moment from the program that stands out to you?
Jaren Jackson Jr. was quite unique. He got to surprise his former teammate Marc Gasol which made a great social moment. Jaren brought his father, who obviously played in the NBA Finals. So, having Jackson Sr. see his son actually participate in this type of program was special. He got to embrace the fashion game and on top of that he got to interview Draymond Green, who was also a Michigan State alum.
Another moment was last year’s draft where we had Jeremy Sochan as the 2023 NBA Draft Correspondent. Not only did fans get to pick what color his hair would be dyed, but he was also there the moment his new teammate, Victor Wembanyama, was selected which led to more social content.
