Popular NBA writer and podcaster Zach Lowe is making a comeback at The Ringer after a six-month break from basketball coverage. Lowe was part of a surprise wave of layoffs at ESPN last fall, along with Robert Griffin III and Sam Ponder, but he’s now reuniting with his former boss, Bill Simmons, who gave him his first major opportunity back in 2011 at Grantland.
Since then, Lowe has transformed into the leading NBA analyst online and a prominent podcaster at the Worldwide Leader. He will write and podcast for both The Ringer and Spotify, as announced by Simmons on his podcast Sunday night. “Obviously, Zach is one of the best people I’ve ever worked with,” Simmons remarked, “and I was really hoping at some point in life we would get to work together again. So it’s happening.”
With Lowe’s new podcast launching next week, Simmons has teased an NBA awards column before the regular season concludes. Hoops fans have certainly missed Lowe’s insights during a season witnessing young superstar Luka Dončić traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and the recent surprise firing of Memphis Grizzlies mainstay Taylor Jenkins. But just in time for the busiest segment of the NBA calendar, he’s back.
One can speculate that Lowe’s agreement with The Ringer closely mirrors that of Todd McShay, the former ESPN NFL Draft analyst who joined the audio and video network last year, launching a podcast and YouTube channel with regular live streams, followed by a newsletter in February. By functioning as a distribution platform and production studio rather than a digital magazine as it was initially, The Ringer can compete for top talent like iHeartMedia and SiriusXM.
Furthermore, it’s likely easier for The Ringer to attract sports media stars like Zach Lowe with Simmons secured on board. The Sports Guy was headed toward free agency in March before extending his deal with Spotify earlier this year.
