All The Smoke

Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson built this show on a simple premise: two guys who played hard, lived loud, and have zero interest in filtering their opinions. Both had long NBA careers and reputations as tough, outspoken competitors, and that energy carries directly into every episode. The interview format brings in current and former NBA players, entertainers, and cultural figures for conversations that go places most sports podcasts won't touch -- locker room politics, racial dynamics in sports ownership, personal struggles, and the real texture of life as a professional athlete. With 535 episodes and a 4.7-star rating from nearly 7,500 reviewers, the show has clearly found a massive audience. Barnes and Jackson have a knack for getting guests to relax and open up in ways that feel more like a barbershop conversation than a formal interview. The scope extends well beyond basketball into hip-hop, politics, and social commentary, which might be a plus or minus depending on what you're looking for. Some episodes barely touch hoops at all. But when they do lock into basketball -- sharing war stories about specific playoff series, breaking down what it's actually like to guard certain players, or giving honest takes on current NBA drama -- the former-player perspective is unmatched. It's raw, it's funny, and it's occasionally uncomfortable in the best way.