Do It For the 'Gram: How Social Media is Transforming High School Hoops

ESPN Daily

ESPN

Sports

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 25 August 2020

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Social media has given national audiences a front row seat to high school basketball players like never before. Instagram accounts belonging to UConn recruit Paige Bueckers and California's Kyree Walker have reached half-a-million followers and climbing. Then there's LaMelo Ball and Bronny James (LeBron's son) who've used the hype surrounding their families, plus their own on-court highlights to propel their follower counts to over 5 million. But behind the scenes, coaches are concerned that the appeal of social media fame is warping how players approach the game. Scouts and recruiters are wondering if the skills actually match the hype. And experts are questioning if these kids can handle the pressure and pain that comes with added online scrutiny. ESPN's Joon Lee joins the show to explore how Instagram is changing the culture of basketball, and if it's for the better, or for worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You have quite an Instagram following. How many followers on Instagram do you have right now?
0:05.0	I have 1.7 million.
0:06.0	And who are the most famous that you've noticed?
0:09.0	Drake, Chris Brown, Dack Prescott, Zeke Elliott.
0:14.0	Do your teammates give you a hard time about it?
0:16.0	All the time.
0:18.0	That was an interview with Zion Williamson, before he even played his first college game at Duke.
0:25.1	Zion's otherworldly dunks as a high schooler made him Instagram's first high school basketball
0:29.7	superstar.
0:31.1	And now teenagers everywhere are trying to follow in his very large footsteps.
0:35.8	But our viral highlights and follower counts, a reliable measure of talent.
0:41.4	And are there hidden costs for kids who blow up on the biggest social media platforms in the world?
0:48.1	Today we explore the Instagramification of high school basketball.
0:54.6	I'm Pablo Torre. It's Tuesday, August 25th. This is ESPN Daily.
1:03.2	June Lee, the first question I have for you is the most important one. How old are you now?
1:08.2	I'm 25 years old. Good God.
1:15.5	June Lee is a noted member of Gen Z and a talented staff writer for ESPN.
1:19.9	He recently wrote about the impact of social media on high school basketball stars.
1:22.1	June, I was once like you.
1:30.2	I was once an up-and-comer in sports media, but now I stumble across like a seven-year-old YouTuber with millions of subscribers making NBA max contract money for unboxing toys. And I feel the need to enlist a special
1:37.0	ESPN Daily youth correspondent like yourself. So thank you for joining me. Thank you. And if it makes
1:42.6	you feel a little bit older, too,
	...

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