Zach Lowe has a powerful argument for being the perfect sportswriter in America proper now. In fact, sportswriter solely partially describes Lowe’s position at ESPN over the past a number of years: he’s been a staple on tv as a panelist on NBA At the moment, and he hosts the perfect podcast masking the league, The Lowe Publish. Throughout a time when sports activities media feels prefer it’s 80 p.c screaming speaking heads or goal clickbait, Lowe was in a position to cowl the NBA via an analytical and tactical lens that by no means felt too pretentious for the on a regular basis fan, whereas additionally doing authentic reporting.
On Thursday, ESPN made the stunning resolution to put off Lowe simply weeks forward of the opening of the 2024-2025 NBA season. I say stunning and never gorgeous, as a result of: a) ESPN has been shedding a whole lot of staff recently, b) nobody in sports activities media can declare to have actual job safety. Nonetheless, letting go of somebody as proficient and well-liked as Lowe simply because he was deservingly paid a excessive wage is an especially upsetting resolution for the corporate that claims to be the worldwide chief in sports activities.
As my outdated buddy Tom Ziller astutely identified, ESPN simply shelled out billions of {dollars} to be included within the league’s subsequent media rights deal. You’d assume an organization that has a major monetary curiosity in getting folks excited concerning the NBA would wish to maintain round a superb but affable analyst who was at all times uncovering new issues to get enthusiastic about across the league. Sadly, that will be giving ESPN an excessive amount of credit score.
Lowe is your favourite basketball author’s favourite basketball author. A former highschool instructor turned crime reporter, Lowe received his huge break in sports activities writing when he was employed to run Sports activities Illustrated’s Level Ahead weblog. A pair years later he was employed by Invoice Simmons’ legendary Grantland web site, the place he absolutely emerged because the NBA’s most important author. Lowe was one of many first on-line basketball writers to interrupt down offensive units and defensive coverages like a coach would. He has at all times had a seamless potential to combine analytics into his writing and podcasting with out going over the pinnacle of the reader and listener. Nowadays, on-line basketball writing is stuffed with many Lowe proteges, although few do it in addition to he does.
Lowe by no means misplaced his curiosity as he juggled his rising obligations at ESPN after Grantland shut down. He’s a nerd in the very best means, diving into the trivialities of the league and the storylines effervescent beneath the floor for all 30 groups. He’s additionally a superb reporter: his final podcast for ESPN that includes new Los Angeles Lakers coach J.J. Redick was a clinic on learn how to ask robust questions on the file and power insightful solutions out of your topics (Redick divulged his beginning lineup and the way he coped with the Lakers’ curiosity in Danny Hurley, amongst different matters).
Whilst he blew up into an enormous title with legit sources, Lowe nonetheless had the guts of an underdog. When he wasn’t bringing present coaches and gamers on his podcast, he would come with a pleasant mixture of huge J journalists with upstart bloggers. It was so heartwarming to see him give his massive platform to good analysts like Caitlin Cooper, Mike Prada, Nekias Duncan, and Steve Jones over time. The Lowe Publish toed the road between being entertaining and informative with out ever feeling like its host had an inflated ego.
On a private word, I used to be at all times grateful Lowe devoted air time to eulogize my buddy Jonathan Tjarks, who tragically handed of most cancers two years in the past. Lowe used the opening of his podcast to element what made Tjarks such an incisive author with a novel eye for the sport. I’m sure nobody was asking Lowe to do this, however he did it as a result of Tjarks’ life and work deserved extra recognition. That’s simply the form of man Lowe is.
There are too many nice Lowe items to select from as a favourite. I fondly recall his breakdown of the Monty Williams-era Phoenix Suns’ devastating pick-and-roll assault, or his deep dive into how the Thunder put the 73-win Warriors on the heels. As Lowe transitioned to doing extra podcasting and tv, his written breakdowns grew to become rather less frequent. It appeared like he was urged by ESPN to speak concerning the Los Angeles Lakers or potential offseason motion extra usually lately. One potential silver lining of his ESPN departure is that he could really feel extra empowered to chase the matters he’s actually enthusiastic about at his subsequent house.
ESPN’s resolution is infuriating for NBA followers who like good protection, however Lowe himself will likely be superb. He’ll both shortly land a job masking the league for one more outlet, or perhaps he’ll be part of a workforce’s entrance workplace. As a fan of the eternally hopeless Chicago Bulls, let me use this chance to beg them to fireside Arturas Karnisovas and rent Lowe as an alternative.
ESPN nonetheless had loads of good basketball protection, however dropping Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski in the identical offseason goes to harm. Subsequent time you flip in your tv and there’s two speaking heads spewing loud nonsense about basketball, simply realize it didn’t need to be this fashion.
