Paul George is out here doing something wild—beating Shaquille O’Neal in pure numbers, and he’s not even trying. Imagine stepping away from your podcast, hitting pause on new content, and still managing to outshine a guy who every now and then brags about being number one. That’s exactly what’s happening. Shaq, the larger-than-life personality and 4x NBA champ, has never been shy about flexing his dominance, even in the podcast world. But as it turns out, the numbers tell a different story. And George might just have him beat in more ways than one.
ClutchPoints recently dropped an Instagram post ranking NBA players who are making serious money through podcasting. An industry that was valued at USD 2.22 billion in 2022. But here’s the kicker: “none of the 9 highest-paid player-turned-podcasters crack the top 3 NBA podcasts.” So, who’s on top?
All the Smoke by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson takes the crown, followed by Jeff Teague’s Club 520 and Knuckleheads by Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles. Right behind them? Paul George’s Podcast P with an impressive 784,000 subscribers.
And where’s Shaquille O’Neal? Down at No. 11, with 363,000 subscribers—less than half of George’s audience. That’s got to sting for someone who takes pride in being the biggest personality in any room. But the surprises don’t stop there. When it comes to career earnings, PG has also outpaced Big Diesel, racking up $356,300,737 compared to Shaq’s $292,198,327. Sure, player salaries have skyrocketed since Big Diesel’s playing days, but for someone of his stature to fall behind in both money and media influence? That’s not a good look.
Now, you might think Shaq would have a chance to close the gap, given that Paul George put his podcast on hold. Back in February, PG announced a break from Podcast P to focus on his health and help the Philadelphia 76ers turn things around. That should’ve given Shaq a golden opportunity. And it did!
As per the analytics from Social Blade, Shaquille O’Neal has gained 2k subscribers in the last 14 days while George didn’t gain any significant number. No wonder at present Shaq has reached 367k subs as compared to ClutchPoints’ listed 363k while George has witnessed just an increase of 1k subs.
However, the break from the podcast could not prevent Paul George’s season coming to an end. After receiving injections in his left knee and left adductor muscle, he is now sidelined for at least six weeks. And you know what that could mean? More time to jump back into the podcast game. If he does, will Shaq have any chance of catching up? Most likely, yes!
Paul George should never have halted his podcast
Three weeks ago, Paul George decided to put Podcast P on hold to focus on the Sixers’ playoff run. Made sense at the time, right? Lock in, block out distractions, and chase a championship. Well, fast forward to now—the Sixers have gone 3-8 since he stopped podcasting. So, was the podcast really the issue?
Let’s be honest, he could’ve kept dropping episodes, and it wouldn’t have changed a thing. The Sixers were going to struggle regardless. And what about the fans? You know, the ones who relied on Podcast P for their daily dose of basketball insight and entertainment? They’ve been left hanging, all for a playoff run that’s falling apart anyway.
Now, with George’s season-ending injury, the Sixers have bigger problems. But maybe—just maybe—the universe is telling him something. If he can’t be on the court, there’s no excuse not to get back on the mic. And thus further his lead over Shaquille O’Neal.
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