Current and former NBAers during the '19 Finals have been training at Broadcaster U., a "career development program administered" by the NBPA for those interested in a media career, according to Josh Schafer of YAHOO SPORTS. This year’s cast -- which included Nuggets G Isaiah Thomas, Hawks G Justin Anderson, Jazz F Georges Niang, Magic G D.J. Augustin, Pistons F Jon Leuer and free agent G Jameer Nelson -- learned the "requirements of being on the other side of an interview inside a newsroom-esque studio." Players practiced "commentating and analyzing through rewatching the first two games of the Finals and previewing Game 3." The point of the program is to "provide a sample of every part of the production and learn what best suits their interests." The program was created in '08 and has "instructed more than 65 current and former players," including "prominent analysts" such as TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal and ESPN's Richard Jefferson. After a year off in '18, it shifted from Syracuse to the Annenberg School of Communications & Journalism at USC following a "request from players to be in a bigger market" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/11).
