Revamped "The Big Podcast with Shaq" will feature musical, sports, pop culture, and celebrity guests and serve as the first show to launch on "The Big Podcast Network," a new content platform dedicated to helping athletes and creators start and grow their content brands

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Shaquille O'Neal is back with an all-new weekly podcast show set to launch later this fall as part of his newly formed podcast entity, The Big Podcast Network. Through his partnership with Playmaker HQ, The Big Podcast Network will develop, produce, and distribute a wide variety of podcasts from the world of sports, business, entertainment, and more.

All content on The Big Podcast Network will be produced by Playmaker's internal production team in collaboration with Shaquille O'Neal's Jersey Legends Productions, including the new show with fellow TNT "Inside the NBA" host Adam Lefkoe and Playmaker HQ's award-winning producer Shaine Freeman. The 60-minute episodes will air throughout the remainder of the 2023-2024 NBA season and will be available on The Big Podcast Network's YouTube channel, dedicated The Big Podcast social channels, the Bleacher Report app, Max, and wherever podcasts can be found, including Apple and Spotify.

The Big Podcast Network will serve as a platform dedicated to athletes & creators who want to start and grow their brands with the help and guidance of Playmaker HQ and their vast reach of over three billion followers across social media. 

"I'm excited to work with Playmaker, a creative partner with a unique production and distribution process, to create my own podcast network," said O'Neal. "The Big Podcast Network will prioritize and uplift fresh and diverse voices that will expand the conversation beyond sports to include music, fashion, and entertainment."

A key driver of this network was to create a new and innovative platform for athletes, entertainers, and creators who develop content around their voice and ideas. By joining The Big Podcast Network, they will have access to Playmaker HQ's management, production, distribution, and monetization expertise while tapping into Shaq's creative mind, promotion, and vast network of resources.

"From our first conversation, our visions were perfectly aligned, with both sides wanting to make a fun, creative, and authentic show, as well as wanting to build a full-service platform to help other athletes build their own successful content platforms," Playmaker HQ's President and Chief Content Officer Brandon Harris said. "Our audience already loves Shaq, and we can't wait for them to get to know him even better through this platform. Even more importantly, we couldn't be more excited to be a driving force behind even more athlete entrepreneurship success stories together with our new network."

Silver Tribe Media brokered the agreement between O'Neal's The Big Podcast Network and Playmaker HQ.

About Playmaker HQ
Playmaker HQ is a fast-growing sports entertainment company specializing in content production and distribution. Playmaker HQ produces more than 500 videos per month across social media, reaching over 3 billion people across social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube. Headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Playmaker HQ was acquired by Better Collective, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based sports media group, in July 2023. For more information about Playmaker HQ, please visit @playmaker on social or PlaymakerHQ.com.

Jersey Legends
Created by Shaquille O'Neal and Mike Parris, Jersey Legends most recently produced the Sports Emmy-nominated SHAQ, a four-part docu-series from HBO that chronicled Shaq's ascent to superstardom and has multiple projects in various stages of development. It also won an Academy Award in the category of Best Documentary Short for Queen of Basketball in 2021. The company continues to operate a thriving commercial division that provide in-house production services for content and high-end creative development, servicing a range of partners and clients.

The Big Podcast with Shaq, airing throughout the 2023-2024 NBA season and will be available on The Big Podcast Network’s YouTube channel, dedicated The Big Podcast social channels, the Bleacher Report app, Max, and wherever podcasts can be found, including Apple and Spotify.

Shaq and Adam Lefkoe during episode 1 of The Big Podcast with Shaq.

Shaq (middle) and host Adam Lefkoe (right), with retired Miami Heat star Udonis Haslem, after recording episode 1 of The Big Podcast with Shaq.