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There’s No Limit To Scoop B’s Sports Media Takeover

Posted byBy J.R. Gamble | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

As the month of February came to a close, sports analyst, media personality and NBA news guru Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, announced that he was leaving his position as Senior Writer at Heavy.com after 2.5 years with the company.  

“Heavy magnified and put a megaphone to what I was already doing and I really have grown as a writer and person, especially financially,” Scoop B told The Shadow League in an exclusive interview. 

“We put in a lot of work in this business to get to the point where one can make an honest living as working media, and Heavy provided that as far as enabling me to finally pay off debt and student loans and other bills.” 

Scoop was already making a name for himself within NBA circles for his ability to discover information that the major outlets weren’t even getting. 

“I came to Heavy in a situation in 2018 where a lot of the stuff I was reporting was getting major traction, Scoop recalls, “particularly new info surrounding  Anthony Davis and the Lakers in the fall of 2018.”

READ MORE: Anthony Davis And The NBA’s Emerging Black Power Structure

“I was tweeting and writing a lot because I was still at Basketballsociety at that point. My intel and opinion on LeBron, the Lakers, the new Space Jam movie.. and a lot of the stuff I was reporting was hitting Twitter and people were like, ‘How does he know all this stuff?” 

Even Rihanna seemed impressed with Scoop back then. However, despite the fact that he had a sports radio show at 12-years-old with WFAN’s Evan Roberts and was blazing his own path in media, Scoop was still considered somewhat new to the game in mainstream celebrity media circles. His credibility was questioned a few times along the way, but it didn’t faze him. He kept plugging.

Blowing Up & Branching Out

Robinson’s coverage of Kyrie Irving during the mercurial and Uber talented guard’s stints in Boston and now Brooklyn continues to make his Twitter page a go-to spot for breaking NBA news and info about polarizing superstars on the move. 

Robinson says he will miss Heavy and the opportunity it afforded him to grow and expand his brand, but he’s not lacking employment options. In fact, since leaving Heavy, he’s continued to report what he knows and create compelling stories. 

When COVID hit, Robinson adjusted as most of the writers, reporters and content creators in the sports and entertainment field were forced to do, and began hosting a digital show called Heavy Live with Scoop B, “where I’m calling a lot of the people I come in contact with every day in the field to sit down and talk,” Robinson told The Shadow League.

“Like (Dallas Mavericks owner) Mark Cuban, (ESPN commentator) Kendrick Perkins, Tiki Barber, people like that.”

He’s also still hosting his “Scoop B Radio” podcast which garners 2-3 million streams annually and has featured interviews with everyone from tennis legend Pete Sampras to Charles Barkley to Shaquille O’Neal and Milwaukee Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes. 

While Robinson has always been considered the consummate pro, he was never afraid to branch out and try new things, creating his own viable brand without the backing of any sports machines or conglomerates.

His ability to master the changing landscape of sports journalism and become a rising social media force with more than 30K followers on Twitter and almost 90K followers on Instagram, has resulted in his current standing as one of the game’s coveted free agents. 

“I found my niche in basketball, but I like other things…music and fashion as well,” Scoop told The Shadow League, just a few days before the NBA All-Star festivities in Atlanta. “More than chasing news, what I’m enjoying now are the conversations and interviews that have to do with things other than what’s going on currently in basketball.”

 “…Or hopping on IG Live with Metta World Peace and talking to him about Michael Jordan …and also speaking with guys like Jay-Z’s former Roc-A-Fella Records partner, Damon Dash, and finding out what he’s doing with his new App.”

Scoop B wasn’t playing, when he mentioned expanding his horizons. His latest endeavor proves that he is all in with becoming an international, all-encompassing brand. 

What started as a few guest appearances by former porn stars Cherie Deville and Lisa Ann on Scoop B’s Heavy Live show —  has organically developed into an IG show, hosted by Scoop and Lisa every Thursday at 5 pm ET. The show is sponsored by Bovada, a sports betting company. 

https://youtu.be/L12sv0RG5w8

Lisa Ann, who was also an adult film director, has transitioned out of that world into sports quite easily. She is the reigning champion of the SiriusXM Celebrity Fantasy Football League and now lives to talk fantasy sports on SiriusXM.  Ann has been a regular host on SiriusXM’s fantasy sports programming since 2013.

Her SiriusXM page reads: “The NY Post once named her the No. 1 Adult Film Star in the world, so she retired at the top of her game to become No. 1 at something new: Fantasy sports!”

Scoop B cosigns this.

“She knows her sports,” he insists. “The allure is not just because she’s a retired porn star. She studies the game. She records games she misses to make sure she knows what she’s talking about when she comes on the show every week…she’s always prepared…a genuine sports fan, and there’s mutual respect between us. 

I tell her when we text, ‘You’re Batman and I’m Robin. You’re the star of the show and I have no problem playing my lane and position,” Scoop says, referencing the conversations they have when planning the show. 

His understanding of hoops helps the unlikely connection click.

“It’s like James Harden knowing his role with Kyrie and KD,” says Scoop. “It’s a perfect match.”

Lisa Ann also has a very successful podcast, in addition to her new endeavor with Scoop B, who says he’s having fun expanding and “showing my face more and attaching my personality to everything I do.”

So is Scoop B like the sports guy to the porn stars now? Or the Akinyele of sports?  

“This is what I’ll say,” Scoop said, hiding his chuckle underneath a serious tone. “Lisa Ann and I actually met in 2016. A friend of mine was in a comedy show in Manhattan, an amateur night. He invited me to go and said Lisa Ann is hosting it. I have to be honest, I didn’t know who Lisa Ann was. My connection to Lisa Ann was actually when she did that Sarah Palin spoof in 2008 when Palin was running on VP ticket with John McCain, but I met her that night and got to know her and she was funny.”

Over the years we stayed in touch, Scoop tells TSL, “and essentially Bovada and I talked about doing this and it made all the sense in the world. I like her.”

Superstardom and Scoop B seem to be a perfect match as the 35-year-old’s career continues to blossom and morph into whatever it’s going to be. He’s not placing any limitations on his progress and always seems to end up in the right spot. At the right time. Just like a true sleuth. 

What’s on the horizon for Scoop? 

“I’ve gotten a couple of calls since I posted the announcement last Monday and I’m kind of just listening right now,” Scoop tells TSL. “Not making any definitive decisions, but I’m enjoying time with my family and enjoying slowing down. I wake up every morning, eat my smoothie watch sports every day, and Im still in contact with past and current players and executives.”

Still getting first-hand news. 

“When the right opportunity comes and I sit and talk to my family about what they think, I will make the decision,” Scoop says.

Right now, his frame of mind is what’s keeping him in this winning groove. Scoop says that the minute he stopped chasing what other people’s expectations were and focused on himself, everything fell into place.

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