LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 05: TV personality Michelle Beadle attends 8th Annual Nike Basketball 3ON3 Tournament at Microsoft Square on August 5, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/WireImage)
Few people have accomplished what Michelle Beadle has in the sports broadcasting industry and she has now become one of the most recognizable names in basketball for pregame and postgame analysis.
Born in Italy and raised in Texas, Beadle has had one of the more interesting journeys to the top of the sports broadcasting profession. From being a law student to working odd jobs, it wasn’t until she started going into sports reporting that she finally found her niche.
Beadle’s career has taken her to ESPN, NBC, HBO and now to FanDuel TV, covering NBA games and other sports while building her platform on social media.
We caught up with Beadle to discuss the current NBA season, her thoughts on LeBron James’ future, her new show Run It Back on FanDuel TV and much more.
This interview is made possible by FanDuel TV:
TheSpun: You’ve joined with FanDuel TV for a new show called Run It Back with Chandler Parsons. Can you tell us about the show and what made you want to get on board with it?
Michelle Beadle: It’s a three hours a week – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. You’ve got Chandler Parsons, NBA vet, winning the lottery of life game guy. Shams Charania – one of the most known NBA insiders in the game – and Eddie Gonzalez, known as the other part of Kevin Durant’s podcast, the ETCs, who I have learned is such a big basketball fan and his knowledge of basketball is just off the charts. He’s been such a great pleasure to get to know in a short period of time. It’s been a pleasant surprise for me.
As far as why? We get to talk basketball. We talk basketball and do it in a way that I’ve always thought it should be done. Four people hanging out, talking hoops the night before. All of it just seems very natural and conversation. We forget we’re doing TV sometimes.
TheSpun: Let’s talk about the current NBA season. Which team has exceeded your preseason expectations the most so far?
Beadle: The Sacramento Kings have been such a beautiful and fun surprise. We are talking about a city that has had the longest (playoff) drought in sports. Now all of a sudden they’ve got a winning record, they’re up there in the rankings, they’re fun to watch, a young group. You’ve got guys who have changed teams and now it’s like this fresh start has let them blossom into a better version of themselves. And the fanbase is reawakened which I love. I love that for small market teams. I’m a small market team person because that’s (often) all we have. It brings a life to the city of Sacramento that’s such a delight.
TheSpun: Which team has fallen below your expectations?
Beadle: You might expect me to say the Lakers but I really didn’t have any expectations for the Lakers. That’s not really going to be my answer.
There have been a few though. It changes almost daily. I had expectations for New Orleans based on how they ended last season. They showed these glimpses of who they can be when Zion (Williamson) came back. Then Zion came back and they started this season on a tear. They were on such a long winning streak – and now they’re on a BAD streak. A bit of a slump here with no Zion. But I still think when Zion comes back they will be a team people don’t want to face come playoff time.
The Miami Heat started out weird. I think they’re figuring out who they are.
I guess I could also say the Golden State Warriors. But again I think they could flip the switch any day now. Their start was garbage, but now I think we’re about to see in the second half of the season why they’re the defending champs.
TheSpun: The NBA Trade Deadline is just around the corner. Do you expect LeBron James to stay in LA the rest of the way?
Beadle: Yeah I think LeBron is definitely staying. I think they got enough of a taste of what they’re capable of doing when the entire team is on the floor.
But also where is he going to go? That’s an important question – Where are you SENDING Lebron James? LA is sort of where he wanted to be. He wanted to build his empire, he did a good job of building it out in LaLa Land. If anything, they’re going to have to bring some pieces into him. So I think he stays put.
Don’t forget that this time last year we thought Russell Westbrook was a goner. And now we’re seeing him as the guy coming off the bench who’s doing quite well. So it’s crazy how this game works.
The Lakers are going to do something, but I don’t know what.
TheSpun: Speaking of LeBron, do you think he’ll play long enough to be teammates with his son?
Beadle: I don’t know. Based on what we’re seeing right now, he could seemingly play another five years with the way he looks right now. It’s honestly quite shocking. The man clearly spends plenty of time on his body and it’s obviously playing off.
But sometimes I wonder who this “playing with your son” idea is for. Does (LeBron Jr.) want to play with his dad? Is it too much for LeBron to try to pull that off? It’s a helluva footnote to a great career if he does manage it – even for one game if it’s just to suit up and call it quits. It’s a spectacle for sure.
(Bronny) is nowhere near as good as his dad. But someone will draft him because he is LeBron’s son. That’s a big shadow to fill and I sometimes wonder about the kids of greats. ‘Why? Why do the same field that your dad dominated?’ Go be an engineer! Go into a different field, because you’ll never live up to that. Ever.
TheSpun: Who do you have on your NBA Mt. Rushmore?
Beadle: This is where I have to be honest. People who follow me know that I don’t love LeBron James, but I’m also not a jackass. I get it.
So it’s Michael Jordan first and foremost. It’s Kobe Bryant (to start).
This is where my not being around some of the greats sort of puts me at a disadvantage. Because I know that you’re supposed to say Kareem, you’re supposed to say Magic. But when I go by what I watched, that’s very difficult.
LeBron is third and for my fourth spot I’m gonna be a homer and go with Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan doesn’t get enough love on any of these lists and I know it’s because (his Spurs) weren’t flashy, weren’t splashy or sexy or loud. But my goodness when it’s all said and done and you need to build a team, you’re going to want Tim Duncan – so I’m doing it!
TheSpun: You obviously entered the field of sports broadcasting at a time where women in the industry were few and far between. What are your thoughts on the industry nowadays?
Beadle: I look around and I see definite progress. We’ve gone from being limited to sideline reporting and nothing else to basically everywhere. Studio hosts, color analysts, play-by-play – which I think is the most challenging of all roles in sports media – we’re seeing it at the team level. We’re seeing it in the coaching ranks and front offices, which is huge.
You don’t win any of these battles if we’re not in a position to make these choices. I think the big wars are still being fought. The more we can get an equal footing in the front office – whether it’s at networks or with teams – I think that’s where the fight continues to happen and moves forward.
TheSpun: What player or industry professional have you tried to model yourself after – if any?
Beadle: No, and I don’t say that with arrogance, I say that with a lack of knowledge when I started. I didn’t know anything about TV or any of this when I started. I wanted to be a lawyer and go into politics – and that didn’t happen.
I didn’t come in with any sort of ideas. Now, along the way I have gone to know some of these women and learn from them. I love Linda Cohn and I love her passion for hockey…
I’ve watched them as I’ve done this. It’s been a real time learning who I like in that respect.
TheSpun: We have Super Bowl Sunday coming up. Would you like to offer a prediction?
Beadle: I’m torn and for personal reasons I don’t want either team to win. It’s personal to me and people I know. But with that being said I’m gonna root for (the Kansas City Chiefs and QB Patrick) Mahomes.
I like the idea that the only quarterback to come along in recent memory that people are even putting in a conversation with Tom Brady is Patrick Mahomes. And I think for that conversation to keep going, and to keep that train going is good for all of us. Because I don’t think I can deal with Tom Brady being the only guy we talk about for the rest of our lives. I can’t. I know we’re fresh off his retirement part two but I think we need more people in that conversation.
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