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Meet the hosts behind Certified Buckets, your go-to NBA podcast for the season
There’s only one NBA podcast covering all of the highlights both on and off the court this upcoming season.
UNINTERRUPTED’s official hoops pod Certified Buckets is back for season two with three hosts who’ve all paved different lanes into sports and media.
Certified Buckets, your go-to NBA podcast for the season
Ashley Nicole Moss, Kristian Winfield, and Lethal Shooter make up a hosting trio with the versatility to cover topics across basketball, culture, and more. Each one of them brings a unique perspective to the game as their journey into building their names couldn’t have been more different.
We had the chance to ask them just how they got started and what it takes to make it in the highly competitive field of sports media. This is what they said:
Ashley Nicole Moss, Media Host
You might have seen Ashley on platforms like Sports Illustrated, SNY TV, and Knicks Fan TV. But before she was dishing out hot takes on Certified Buckets and landing her own shows, she was finding any opportunity she could get and running with it. She told us,
My journey started years ago in college as a sports writer for the school paper. From there I worked for NBC, iHeart Radio, and presently I was given the historic opportunity to be the first black host at Sports Illustrated.
Being a Black woman in the sports industry has presented many challenges to Ashley but she’s learned from experience that she has something different to offer.
There’s not just one way to get to the same destination. There’s this very weird narrative that is taught, especially to young women that in order to be successful you have to fit into a box, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Women are so dope because we’re so multidimensional and taping into that needs to be celebrated not discouraged.”
– Ashley Nicole Moss
She credits the mindset that was shaped through her journey as the reason for her success and motivation to further herself in the space.
My tunnel vision is that of an athlete and I’m not easily deterred from my goal. For me, it’s never a matter of ‘if’ it’s always a matter of ‘when’.
– Ashley Nicole Moss
Lethal Shooter, NBA Shooting Coach
You might have seen Cris Matthews, aka Lethal Shooter, training some of your favorite NBA players or rappers on how to perfect their shot. But before that, he was playing professionally overseas and perfecting his craft.
His path into sports media wasn’t intentional at all. It all started with what he built with his talent and that organically made its way to social media. Now as an NBA podcast host he says,
While focusing on my shooting coaching, I started posting more on social media. Eventually this led to my platform growing exponentially. From there, I began to have opportunities to speak on sports media platforms and now am a part of launching Certified Buckets.
– Lethal Shooter
As an expert in his field, Lethal Shooter was able to build his own platform and create content that he knows real hoopers want to see. However, it takes more than just talent and a good network.
He also had the mindset to focus on what was working and found new ways to grow that. It only works because basketball is truly his passion. His advice to kids who want to find their own lane is simple. He says,
Sports media is very competitive, so unfortunately nothing is going to be handed to you…you just have to work hard, stay focused and do it because you love it.
– Lethal Shooter
Kristian Winfield, Beat Reporter
Kristian’s journey can be summed up in one word: GRIND. Like many kids looking to get into sports media, he once had hoop dreams. But even without the game, he always knew he’d find a way to be a part of it.
I knew there was another way to the NBA outside of being a player, and I was always a strong writer. More than strong, actually. So I kept honing my writing abilities and started studying some basketball reporters.
He started out writing about sports in any way he could. The school paper at Hampton University, his own blog, and then eventually as an intern at sites like Bleacher Report.
He did the work, made some connections, and continued to grind. Kristian eventually got hired as a full-time sports writer at SB Nation. Today he covers his hometown Brooklyn Nets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Kristian’s advice to aspiring sports is simple:
Get focused. Work on your craft. If that’s writing, study writers. If that’s TV, study broadcasters. If that’s making money getting those tweets off, guess what? People get paid for that, too. There’s a lane for everybody. Find yours. The sooner you do that, the better.
– Kristian Winfield
New episodes of the NBA podcast for Certified Buckets will drop weekly every Wednesday. Click HERE for a link to all platforms.