The superstars of the basketball world will descend upon the “City of Angels” this coming weekend as Los Angeles hosts the 2026 NBA All-Star festivities. Three nights will be full of highlights, trick shots, gravity-defying slams, mixed with the glitz and glamour the shadows of Hollywood provide. This year, over 200 content creators will mix in with traditional media who cover the sport on a day-to-day basis. Despite the added media presence, Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor is approaching the opportunity with a keen focus on exclusivity.
“Hopefully I’ll get to interview a good number of people. It’s always busy at All Star Weekend,” notes O’Connor, who joined Yahoo Sports in 2024 after spending eight years with The Ringer. “Hosting my own show for Yahoo Sports has been amazing. They’ve empowered me to bring on different voices both internally and externally of the company. That’s been a big change for me.”
O’Connor is among the growing number of journalists and creators who have made the leap to the Yahoo Sports brand in recent years. Under the guidance of Yahoo Sports Group president Ryan Spoon, the company has continued building its own lane of content creation, from podcasts to newsletters. With the addition of O’Connor in 2024, the goal was to build on the established reputation the brand has carried for generations.
“Last year was about building the podcasts and getting those established. This year we launched our Yahoo NBA YouTube channel. Currently we’re thinking strategically with creative approaches to that. It’s fun and rewarding to see it grow so quickly after launching,” says O’Connor.
Building On Legacy
For years, Yahoo Sports has served as a destination for NBA fans. It was once home to names such as Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania, who both helped build the reputation the brand holds with NBA fans.
For O’Connor, the opportunity presented itself as a challenge to craft his own lane at Yahoo Sports instead of replicating past results.
“I just focus on myself, my team, and the people I work with daily. I’m not Drake Maye trying to replace Tom Brady,” joked O’Connor. “I’m just doing my own thing. We’re all different. I don’t think I do what ‘Woj,’ Shams, or any of the great people who have come through Yahoo have done. I came here to collectively build something great, and I feel we are.”
The creative freedom Yahoo Sports provides was a direct reason O’Connor came aboard. Although the company has been established for multiple decades, its culture allows for the flexibility he values. The connectivity between the editorial and video sides of the company, he says, serves as a major advantage. O’Connor said his eight years working and growing within the walls of The Ringer were an amazing time. However, there are some small changes to his role at Yahoo Sports.
“Coming to Yahoo, it’s just different. It’s the same, but in different ways,” explains O’Connor. “I focus on my podcast day to day. That’s the main thing, but my responsibilities have differed a bit. I don’t write as often as I did in the past, but I pick my spots more than I did before.”
Content For All
O’Connor began his career in sports media in 2013 as a writer for the popular CelticsBlog. His process has always centered on finding angles that no one else is targeting. His guide in that search lies in the perspective of the fan. If an angle interests him, he believes it will interest the broader NBA audience.
Now, with a platform that reaches a worldwide audience, the challenge is identifying those angles across every NBA team while ensuring none is left behind in the content mix.
“I have a spreadsheet where I track topics I talk about on every single podcast. It’s because I never want to go too long without talking about a particular team,” says O’Connor. “There are thirty fanbases that listen to your podcast, plus fans of the league in general. It’s always about trying to hit different teams and not going too long without talking about them.”
O’Connor believes there is power in diversifying content rather than focusing solely on the hit topics most national media outlets emphasize. He sees that approach as a key reason for his growth at Yahoo Sports.
“If you’re going to a concert, sometimes you want to hear that deep cut,” says O’Connor. “Same thing with a podcast… If you’re just playing the hits, it can get a little stale. That’s one of the things I’ve always tried to do.”
The Kevin O’Connor Show is the top NBA podcast in the Yahoo Sports portfolio. As athletes shift attention away from the court and into podcasting, O’Connor welcomes additional voices into the NBA conversation. While some traditional media members scoff at the rise of athlete-driven podcasts, O’Connor finds it fascinating that so many players are making the leap.
“Athlete hosted podcasts give me more to talk and think about. Personally, I find it fascinating why a player would even want to do this rather than just ignoring it,” said O’Connor. “It’s great to have more voices. Different players have different approaches. It’s overall additive.”
Regarding the growing number of athlete-hosted podcasts, O’Connor says his philosophy remains simple: there is always a new listener somewhere.
“There’s a lot of options for entertainment period,” said O’Connor. “Sports podcasts are competing with a cooking podcast, Netflix show, video games, and reading books. Content is content, and entertainment is entertainment. It’s all competing with each other. People are going to figure out what they want to do anyway. I just look to provide for those with an interest in sports and the NBA.”
NBA Appeal
Interest in the NBA is nearing an all-time high. The league consistently sets new records in reach, engagement, and social metrics. In fact, NBA commissioner Adam Silver last year referred to the league as a “highlight sport” for many consumers. This season marks the first year of the league’s new 11-year media rights agreements with The Walt Disney Company, Prime Video, and NBCUniversal.
O’Connor says the league has done a good job educating audiences on where to find broadcasts, despite criticism from some observers. In particular, the risks taken by both Prime Video and NBC Sports have stood out.
“The broadcasts themselves have been sensational. More than any messaging, it’s about creating a good product. The Amazon one, and I like that NBC experimented with analysts on the benches,” noted O’Connor. “I look forward to seeing what NBC does with All Star Weekend, but overall, it’s been an upgrade.”
As the league turns Los Angeles into its annual basketball carnival, O’Connor will do what he has always done — search for the angle others overlook.
In a weekend built on spectacle, celebrity sightings, and viral clips, his edge is not access or volume. It’s intention. The same spreadsheet that keeps him accountable to all thirty fanbases, the same curiosity that drove him at CelticsBlog in 2013, and the same belief that sometimes fans want the “deep cut” instead of the greatest hit — that’s what he’s bringing to All-Star Weekend.
In an NBA ecosystem overflowing with content, personalities, and platforms, O’Connor isn’t trying to be the loudest voice in the room. Instead, he is focused on being a consistent one. While 200 creators chase moments in the shadows of Hollywood, he is chasing meaning — conversations that last longer than a highlight and analysis that resonates beyond a trending topic.
For Kevin O’Connor, All-Star Weekend isn’t just about the show in Los Angeles. It’s about serving the fan in Orlando, Oklahoma City, or overseas who wants more than flash. In an era where everyone has a microphone, that steady, thoughtful approach might be the most valuable highlight of all.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.