Bobby Portis launched a new weekly podcast “Keep It a Buck” last Friday, which he will host with his childhood friends, Anthony Black and Daouda Berete.
Each week, the crew will not only talk about basketball, but they also plan to speak with people from different spaces including fashion, entertainment and business. Some names on the hosts’ list of dream guests include Beyoncé, Steve Harvey, Brandon Jennings and each of the hosts’ moms.
“I think we got a powerful three-headed monster sitting up here,” Portis said at the podcast’s launch event at Nō Studios. “We got camaraderie. We got crazy chemistry. We can play off each other. This is my championship team right now.”
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The name of the show, another way to say “keep it real,” represents the friendly but honest energy the group wants to bring to listeners, in addition to the reference it makes to Portis’ status as the Milwaukee Bucks forward.
Portis and Berete credited their co-host Black with the initial idea to create a podcast.
“I know how goofy we are, how much time we just spend talking to each other – I think we got the personalities for it,” Black said at the launch. “Bobby’s one of the funniest people I know – and [Berete] one of the smartest.”
And setting the new venture in motion was not an impulse decision. According to the trio, the first recording session took place a few weeks after Portis and the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Finals back in the summer of 2021.
“When I do something, I want it to be done the right way,” Portis said. “When you think about the things you want to get done, it don’t happen overnight.”
Having grown up together in Arkansas, the goal of giving back was clear between the three. According to Portis, they want to “show [kids] you can go through so much and still become someone that you want to be.” Eventually, they hope to use their platform to reach into mentorship programs and provide resources for the communities in their hometown and Milwaukee.
“The more we grow, we’ll be able to help others and help them grow – I feel like we relate to a lot of kids out here,” said Berete at the event. “I want people to see the Bobby we know.”
At the launch event, the three welcomed guests into their world with insightful commentary and casual banter in their discussion with the founder of Milwaukee’s Swift Motion Pictures, Ramon Sloan – offering a taste of what’s to come from the new show.
“We obviously ask questions and want our guests to keep it a buck, but at the same time make [the podcast] a safe haven,” said Portis. “I want [listeners] to really look forward to those Thursdays.”
The first episode of “Keep It a Buck,” produced in partnership with PodcastOne, is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Follow the Instagram page to keep up with new episodes released every Thursday.
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