LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wave Sports + Entertainment, one of the fastest-growing sports and entertainment companies with more than 110 million followers globally, today unveiled its talent-driven content strategy to win Gen Z and millennial basketball fans with its flagship media brand BUCKETS. BUCKETS is home to social media's brightest basketball personalities shaping the daily conversation around basketball and hoops culture and is one of the fastest-growing brands in the company’s portfolio with more than five million followers across digital platforms.
“Our aim is to invest in and elevate the top personalities sports social media has to offer. We're building original programming suited to both their strengths and the consumption preferences of digitally native modern fans,” said Mack Sovereign, Executive Vice President, Content & Strategy, Wave Sports + Entertainment (WSE).
WSE signed John Nichols, known as LaJethro Jenkins, as a host for “Outta Pocket” and lead producer for BUCKETS. Nichols has created viral content for more than a decade for Huffington Post, ESPN, and others. The Athletic named Nichols one of NBA Twitter's Top 50 follows. Nichols held previous posts as Editorial Director at All Def Digital and Head of NBA Social Platforms at Yahoo! Sports. Nichols will continue to co-host the podcast “Jenkins And Jonez,” part of The Volume podcast network, which is downloaded more than 340,000 times monthly.
Nichols reunites with former Yahoo! Sports’ “Dunk Bait” co-hosts Josiah Johnson (aka “King of NBA Twitter”) and Zach Schwartz, who both re-upped with WSE. The trio will host the revamped “Outta Pocket” that features #NBATwitter’s hottest stars breaking down what’s popping in basketball culture with commentary, guest interviews, and their trademark variety show schtick. Fans can check out the first episode of “Outta Pocket'' on BUCKETS here. New episodes will drop weekly on Wednesdays.
Also joining WSE to round out hoops coverage is Jordan Ligons, a prolific writer and podcaster fiercely respected throughout the sports and media industries for her coverage of women’s sports, pop culture, and how they intersect. She’s been published in GQ, ESSENCE, The Ringer, and more. She also hosts “Take it From LA,” the latest series from Jordan Basketball where she talks about how fashion, culture, and basketball make the city so great. She also co-hosts the weekly podcast “Spinsters” on the Blue Wire Network. Ligons is currently developing a new show focused on women’s basketball for BUCKETS.
New additions to the BUCKETS talent lineup join existing hosts Mariah Rose and Sean Yoo, who contribute across the brand’s shows.
And ICYMI, BUCKETS’ “Henkel Hours,” hosted by Nick Henkel (aka “Champion of Pistons Twitter”), recently hit Cleveland to cover NBA All-Star weekend, where he interviewed Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham. The episode lit up Twitter and YouTube and can be viewed here.
When not filming remotely on location, shows will be shot at WSE’s new 8,500 square foot studio in the heart of Santa Monica’s Silicon Beach that boasts six custom turnkey sets for digital content creation.
About Wave Sports + Entertainment
Wave Sports + Entertainment is a world class sports and entertainment company serving modern day fans via content, products, and experiences. We obsess over sports, from the mainstream to more, bringing superfans the coverage, culture, commentary, and community they crave. With over 110 million highly-engaged global followers and a reach of over 500 million sports fans monthly, we’ve tapped into something incredibly powerful in record time.
Digital platforms love us. We are a top sports partner to Snap, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. We’ve earned bragging rights by creating some of the most popular sports media brands available on digital platforms today, including BUCKETS, FTBL, GYM HEROES, HAYMAKERS, and JUKES. No matter the sport, we’ve got fans covered with highlights, memes, takes, commentary, analysis, off-field culture, and stories on the players and movements that are shaping the world of sports.
To see our media brands in action, please go to www.wave.tv.
*Wave Sports + Entertainment is incorporated as Bullpen Sports Network, Inc.
