The A-Game Podcast
It’s no secret that New York City has been a breeding ground for elite basketball players throughout the years. So many players put in work on these NYC courts and A-Game Podcast pays homage to them all. Aside from NYC, A-Game shows love to everyone just as long as you put in pain on the court. The brainchild of Ron Souffrant and K. Jamal Jones, A-Game Podcast dedicates themselves to the basketball culture with the focal point on paying homage to the payers who have put in work at the High School, College or professional levels across the map. If you are tuned in to the movement you would instantly see that their love and passion for the game is organic, having once been basketball players themselves. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Souffrant and Jones came from an era where basketball “killers” littered the basketball landscape in every borough. The A-Game Podcast mission is to give those ballers a voice and an opportunity to tell their stories.
Ron Souffrant (R) and K. Jamal Jones (L) created A-Game Podcast to pay homage to the many individuals who put in work on the basketball court. Photo courtesy of ATH Photos
A-Game set the internet on fire with their comparisons and have steadily evolved over time into conducting live interviews of cult legends like Damon Stoudemire, Reggie Freeman, and Rod Strickland, just to name a few. These sessions have more of a conversational tone than your average question and answer interview, and the audience often chimes in from time to time creating a spontaneous atmosphere in which you never know what questions will be asked. A-Game has been able to utilize Social Media to give basketball junkies the ultimate experience. If you aren’t tuned in… What exactly are you waiting for?!
Sure, there are thousands of Basketball podcasts sprouting up from every corner of the internet, but these guys are different. What sets A-Game Podcast apart from the rest is simply their knowledge of the game, their dedication to putting out quality content and their ability to give the people what they want. Whether you’re speaking about an NBA Hall of Famer or a guy who put in work at Rucker Park, A-Game pays homage and allows their subscribers to see a glimpse of what it was like being a competitor in the golden era of basketball. During that golden era, there was no internet, so these players missed out on the whole phenomenon surrounding social media and everything that comes with it. A-Game respectfully gives these players the opportunity to be heard and seen again and salutes them for all of the hard work and dedication that they put into their craft.
A-Game pays homage by chopping it up with legendary figures in basketball such as Rod Strickland, Damon Stoudamire and Kareem Reid, just to name a few. Their platform gives players the opportunity to give stories about life during and after basketball. Tune in now! Photo courtesy of Mrs. Souffrant
It’s tough to gain a following on the internet nowadays. The internet is full of people who claim to know what they’re talking about and sometimes having success is merely how popular you are. On the contrary, A-Game Podcast has put in the work and is primed for major success in the near future. The recipe cannot be duplicated because it comes from a place that is organic to the culture. You would have had to experience it for yourself to have that kind of knowledge and it shows when you hear the podcast.
I got a chance to chop it up with Ron, one half of A-Game Podcast and got the opportunity to dive deeper into their world. Check it out:
ATH: Who is A-Game and how did you come up with the idea of creating A-Game Podcast?
A-Game: I’m Ron Souffrant, Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I went to Grady High School then a community college for two years and after that it was pretty much the adult thing which was to start working. As far as basketball is concerned and A-Game Podcast… and how that situation came about… basically myself, being the host of the podcast and my co-host… my partner Kenyon Jones aka K. Jamal Jones… I pretty much came up with the concept of wanting to pay homage and to bring back a lot of the guys that we were accustomed to seeing. Guys that we haven’t heard from in years… whether it be guys from NY, California, Chicago, Philly… Wherever. From guys playing at a high level in High School, high level in college… in the Pros overseas… the premise of the podcast and the page is pretty much to reintroduce the public to all of these dudes… like I said Brooklyn, NY … New York City is home to some of the greatest players that the game has ever seen…. so that was pretty much the angle and direction I saw it going in… The Page… 2018 I think it was New Years Day when I said to my wife “I think I want to do a podcast/Instagram page” and she was like “Do it!!!”. The first person I thought of was my partner/brother K and he was on board with it since day 1… and low and behold a year and a half later… we rockin’ and rollin. We got a lot of support… You, being one of the main people who pretty much supported us since the beginning… JB (Jamon Bolton) who’s also doing phenomenal things… supported us since the beginning and again… a year and a half later it’s pretty much taken on a life of its own. From the page and just posting different players. Coming up with the whole “Who you got?!” Concept… player comparisons and going from that to now paying homage to the players by interviewing them…and I don’t really like using the word interview… I like the word “Kickin’ it” or “Chopin’ it up” aka barbershop talk. That’s where it’s at right now.
ATH: I know you are telling a basketball journey through your own eyes; and with that said you are New York heavy…. What kind of responsibility do you think lies with representing the New York City basketball culture?
A-Game: I think it’s a major responsibility. Especially when you come from an era where you were around to have seen certain players put in work. I’ll put it to you like this. When I got to HS in the 9th grade Steph Marbury, Shammgod, Todd Myles, Kareem Reid, Felipe Lopez, Gary Saunders, Charlton Clarke… these were guys that were ahead of me. That was the Era. That was the class… so that’s when NYC pretty much had a stranglehold on the game. With that being said… fast forward… here we are in 2019 looking at 2020. It’s definitely a major responsibility. I feel like for us to bring New York City back to the forefront, even if it’s through (or by) showing individuals that used to play and how good these individuals were… albeit, like I said high level High School, mid-Major to Major College, overseas or even the highest level… NBA. Definitely it’s our responsibility to bring that to the forefront. That’s what I think the page and the podcast is pretty much doing now. Reestablishing or reintroducing all these guys back to the avid basketball enthusiast or basketball junkie/basketball head. This is what A-Game is about.
ATH: Personally I gravitated to you guys simply because I was one of those Basketball junkies. I came up in that era as well. The names that you mentioned like the Stephon Marburys, the Shammgod’s. I came up in that era as well and feel like the people who really put in work needed to be represented as well. So with that said, you have a fairly large platform to where you’re now choppin’ it up with these legends… Who are some of the legends that you have been able to meet throughout this journey so far with A-Game Podcast?
A-Game: I don’t want to miss anybody… you got Damon Stoudamire, Derek Anderson, the legendary Rod Strickland… man! You got Kareem Reid, Reggie Freeman, Jarrett Lockhart, Ramel “Rock” Lloyd, Marcus Hatten, Erick Barkley, Carl Krauser, Lonnie Harrell (Prime Objective) out of DC, you got Rashard Phillips a Detroit legend. We got Mike Helms another Detroit killer, Schea Cotton a west coast Monster. Who else we got? I don’t want to miss anybody… (ATH: Ty Grant) My guy Ty Grant part 1 and part 2 how could I forget that! Javon “Bam” Moore… Anybody that I’ve missed, know that it wasn’t intentional… that’s just the amount of love that we’ve gotten thus far… We’ve chopped it up with legends and certified killers… guys who have done it on a major level. Sheesh, who else… just in case I missed anybody… we try to cover any and everybody who has put in that pain, put in that work… oh Gary Lumpkin! Shout out to my man Gary Lumpkin too!! How can I forget him… Delaware native. Running down that list that’s what it was.
ATH: How does it feel to grow up knowing about these guys and hearing about these guys putting in work at the HS, college and Pro levels and now getting the chance to interact with these guys and getting the chance to hear their stories? How does that all feel from your perspective?
A-Game: Humbling. You’re talking about coming up in one of the greatest cities in the world where we’ve been known as the Mecca of basketball for a very long time. When you’re a student of the game. You follow and you study the game and more importantly you study players. So being able to chop it up and kick it with all of the players that I’ve just named… and to hear intimate stories about their journeys, about life during basketball, life after basketball it’s humbling man. I owe it all to everyone that has supported from the beginning, everyone who has believed in A-Game from the beginning… I could easily sit here and say “Me… Me..Me” but listen… it’s humbling. A lot of those guys took time out of their precious schedules to chop it up, which they didn’t have to but they did. To answer that question in a nutshell, it’s humbling and definitely an honor to be able to chop it up with these guys.
ATH: In terms of what’s next for A-Game…without giving up the special sauce…can you tell us what’s next for you? Is it a situation where you’re just hitting the ground running and see where it leads you or is it a more calculated approach?
A-Game: Definitely a little bit of both. There’s a plan in place and we’re being as calculated as we can be but at the same time we’re definitely hitting the ground running full steam. We going to explore all options. Obviously we want to eventually get it to where it’s on a major platform. The visual aspect on Instagram, we don’t just want it to be just that. Eventually we want to get it to a point where we are sitting down and now chopping it up with these individuals face to face. That’s pretty much where we’re headed. Definitely have a lot more in store. We’ve made progress from Day 1 and now it’s taken on a life if it’s own. We’re just hoping to continue to keep rocking and rolling. And again… appreciate everyone’s support and love.
ATH: Where can my listeners, readers and All Things Hoops community… reach you… and get in tune with your movement?
A-Game: Simple. @A_GamePodcast on Instagram, check out the page. We have a PodCast on the Anchor App… iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and anywhere Podcasts can be heard. We’re on that In terms of the audio… and that’s pretty much it. We’re doing the Social Media thing heavy and the Podcast on Anchor… that’s pretty much what it is… For now!
ATH: Everybody stay tuned to what A-Game got coming up in the future. We definitely have to do some type of collaboration with each other and see where that can go. On behalf of All Things Hoops, Myself and everybody thats listening. Big Salute to you guys, keep pushing the culture forward and I’m definitely going to continue to support you guys and be behind you every step of the way. Thank you for being a part of this culture, again… keep pushing it forward and see where it can take you in the future.
A-Game: It’s been all love since Day 1…Thank you All Things Hoops! You’re doing a phenomenal job. You keep pushing the culture forward… keep doing what you do. We need it, the culture needs it. Like I said we appreciate you and Jamon Bolton for the… support as you supported since day 1. Definitely want to give a special shoutout to my Wife, who had it not been for her… this whole movement might not have gotten started or been rolling the way that it is. Shout out to her… shout out to my co-host… my partner K. Jamal and like he likes to say “We got Heat”… stay Tuned… get in tune with us. For the culture …Pay Homage. Salute all day every day.