The Scoop: NBA Journalist Brandon Robinson’s Journey

“I’ve always had a relationship with Him,” Robinson said. “It’s part of my daily routine, like if I’m writing a story or tweeting out reports. I’ve always known Him for myself.”

At 12 years old, Robinson auditioned for a kids’ radio show, “Nets Slammin’ Planet.”

He competed amongst other kids at Chelsea Pier, Manhattan, for a radio station in Jersey City, NJ called “AAHS World Radio.” 

“The New Jersey Nets were rebranding at the time,” Robinson said. “They were looking for a kid personality who loved basketball and naturally thought of me at this time.”

Robinson did the show for two years, and he was around the Nets squad.

“I was around that Nets team with guys like Kendall Gil, Sam Cassell, Jayson Williams, Kerry Kittles, and Keith Van Horn,” Robinson said.

Hardships and the grind

As Robinson was trying to make a name for himself, from 2011 to 2014, it was one of the toughest times of his life.

After completing his undergrad at Hofstra University, Robinson started searching for a job in media. He applied for a position as a residential director for the Upward Bound program at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey.

The position was a summer gig that gave him a dual opportunity.

In addition, he earned a position as a media instructor at the university for two years. He was teaching media communications and the basic skills of writing.

In 2011, Robinson sent a tweet to New Jersey Senator Cory Booker about inviting him to speak to his class.

Booker direct-messaged Robinson, saying, “Hey, call this person and we can make this happen.”

Booker was the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, at the time.

Eventually, Booker came to Robinson’s class as a guest speaker.

“We’re still in contact and he’s still somebody that I have a lot of respect for because he gave his time,” Robinson said. “That media class really was something that I enjoyed. I feel like I gave my time while I was looking for what the next thing was at the time.”

He was also successful in getting Jabrill Peppers to come speak to his class.

At the time, Peppers was still in high school. Robinson had been chronicling his journey and his ultimate decision to go to the University of Michigan to play football.

“I was dealing with him directly, writing feature stories on him,” Robinson said. “I’d be texting him during homeroom while he was in high school, getting quotes.”

Robinson’s success in landing Booker and Peppers as guest speakers for his class was rewarding for him.

“Because it’s not every day you get a sitting mayor [in your class], who later became a senator and a high school All-American who ended up having a great career in college and is finding his way significantly in the NFL,” Robinson said. “It showed that I could book anybody.”

After being an adjunct professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology, he was also an adjunct professor at other colleges such as New Jersey College, NJCU in Jersey City, and a visiting professor at Ohio University.

While working as an adjunct professor, he was living in his grandmother’s basement.

His grandmother’s house had no stove or oven, so Robinson found himself cooking on crockpots, and a George Foreman grill as a microwave.

The house also had a double-door fridge that had its problems.

The freezer side wasn’t a freezer; it operated as a refrigerator, and the refrigerator side did not work. 

All of this was going on in the backdrop of Robinson freelancing at a myriad of different websites like the Queens Times Ledger, Brooklyn Courier, SLAM Magazine, EBONY Magazine, JET Magazine and many others. He also covered the Brooklyn Nets’ inaugural year at the Barclays Center for a now defunct website called Brooklyn Fans. 

“Just trying to figure out all of things out and surviving,” Robinson said. It’s something that I still do today and despite those hardships, I persevered.”

In 2013, Robinson was at a New York Times function. Some representatives from The Source, a legendary hip-hop magazine publication, were there and took a chance on Robinson.

“People who were there had taken a liking to me,” Robinson said. “They said, ‘Hey, can you come in for an interview, we’d love to interview.’ I came in and they sat me down and said, ‘Hey, we would love to have you. You have a resume.’”

The only downside was that The Source magazine did not have a budget to pay him. Despite that, it took Robinson ten seconds to accept the opportunity and say, “Sure, let’s go!”

During his time at The Source Magazine, it was a pivotal moment for Robinson as it was his first big-time work experience as an adult.

The Source magazine had a strong credibility that expanded Robinson’s opportunities, where he went beyond writing about basketball and diversified his media portfolio. 

“I went everywhere from covering NBA events to NFL events to judging hip-hop battles and making appearances at these battles,” Robinson said. “I’ve appeared on a reality television show; that was pretty cool.”

Companies, brands, and partnership opportunities for Robinson were also expanding.

“I was receiving anything from PlayStation,” Robinson said. “From a PlayStation game or the actual console. Just a myriad of things.”

Robinson did run into some roadblocks during his time at The Source. 

One year, he applied for a credential to cover an NBA All-Star Game. The NBA approved Robinson because he was not being paid at The Source. 

Robinson needed assistance with funding to travel to the game, and he started crowdfunding, which caught criticism from senior colleagues at major networks. 

“I reached out to people whom I looked up to who were household names,” Robinson said. “But, they had a problem and it definitely rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.”

Now that Robinson has found success, he finds himself on the other side of the coin. 

“There are a lot of young people that come behind me,” Robinson said. “They look up to me or respect me and ask the same question, ‘how did you do it’ and it was a combination of crowdfunding, posting it on a GoFundMe link, and using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and word of mouth.”

Eventually, Robinson found support and donations from his undergrad Eastern University, Hofstra University, his grad school, and his home church, Cathedral International.

It’s something Robinson will always remember.

“There were people, just fans of me or who wanted to see me succeed,” Robinson said. “I’m not ashamed of my story because your story is what makes you. That message is what can help encourage someone else. It’s interesting because after I did it in 2014, I want to say a year or two later, after that I saw a lot of journalists who were on the come up – do the same thing.”

Top career moments: NBA Finals, LeBron, and Rihanna

In 2022, Robinson covered the NBA Finals for the first time. 

His United Airlines points went from silver to gold in a week since he covered all six games, traveling cross-country from Boston to San Francisco.

Circling back to 2019, Robinson had an interview with Jaylen Brown. 

After the interview, Brown felt that there was an agenda and believed the interview was a lie about how he was quoted regarding his comments about the 2018-2019 Celtics.

Robinson went on a local Boston radio show, and in summary, “I never said he was a liar,” Robinson clarified. “I just said that I didn’t agree with what he said.”

The situation came full circle as Brown gave Robinson multiple one-on-one interviews during the 2022 Finals.

“I’m glad that I retrospectively handled that the way that I did,” Robinson said. “After that event I was invited to his art show. We did another interview, and it went crazy in a good way.” 

Robinson had another story that made his career memorable. 

After the 2022 NBA Finals, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire season for violating team policies. 

While working at Bally Sports, Robinson’s producer and editor had assigned Robinson to interview Emilia Fazzalari, the co-owner and co-governor of the Celtics and wife of majority owner Wyc Grousbeck.

“My producers wanted me to ask her a question about Ime Udoka,” Robinson said. “I chose not to, and it ended up coming full circle because she and her husband invited me to a basketball game to sit courtside with them. That was better than just that viral hit at the time.”

Robinson took the high road, resulting in keeping a strong line of communication with Fazzalari and Grousbeck.

It’s the connectivity aspect that Robinson loves about his job. 

Robinson had covered Rutgers University. Robinson and Rutgers star guard Dylan Harper, who was just selected second overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, both came from Don Bosco Prep High School.

“It was a full circle moment for me,” Robinson said. “Because when I started in my childhood working for the Nets, I covered and interviewed his dad (Ron Harper) who played for the Bulls, during the Bulls last dance era. I was around that Bulls team in ‘97 and ‘98.” 

One day, Robinson had bumped into LeBron James. James shared his scouting report on Dylan to Robinson.

“All those full circle moments,” Robinson said. “LeBron being from the state of Ohio, Dylan Harper’s dad being from the state of Ohio. LeBron being a current Laker, Ron Harper being a former Laker, and then Dylan playing basketball with LeBron’s son (Bronny James).”

In 2014, Robinson was at a RocNation celebrity basketball game at the Barclays Center.

His colleague, Alvina Alston— a publicist, represented Terrell Owens as a client. Owens was playing in that celebrity basketball game. 

At the time, Team USA basketball was also at that game. 

They had a game at Madison Square Garden the next day in Manhattan. 

The players had a curfew and had to leave.

When they left, the whole courtside first row was empty and it left about 10 to 12 seats empty. 

Rihanna was sitting there. One of the seats was also Terrell Owens’.

“I was sitting in the press row,” Robinson recounted. “Alvina texted me and she said, ‘Scoop come down.’ So I did and I’m sitting courtside away from Rihanna and something (said to me) ‘go sit next to her and make conversation.’”

Robinson and Rihanna started talking about basketball, just laughing and joking.

“We took a selfie,” Robinson said. “She has one of those crinkle-cut French fries in her mouth. While I’m sitting there, there’s a ton of baseline photographers taking pictures and they were floating around the internet. 

Be in the moment: Donald Sterling saga

For Robinson, it’s about seizing the moment and walking in your calling.

The moment was when he asked Commissioner Adam Silver a question during the press conference about the banning of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. 

Originally, Robinson was on a trip before the league emailed him, inviting him to the hotel where Silver’s press conference was scheduled for the next day.

Robinson went back home and went to the hotel the next morning.

Some crazy things have happened at that particular hotel, according to Robinson.

“For context purposes, I share this with people that the UnitedHealth insurance executive was murdered at that hotel,” Robinson said. “That was the same hotel where the press conference was, and when I tell people that, they’re like ‘Are you serious?’ I’m like ‘Yeah, like that’s a hotel (where) a lot of major events are held.”

Robinson was sitting next to Spike Lee at the press conference. 

Before the press conference began, Robinson and Lee were talking about sneakers, and Lee had a pair of Kobes that were yet to be released.

At the press conference, standing up, microphone in hand, Robinson asked Silver, “CarMax and State Farm withdrew their sponsorship with the LA Clippers. As you, the commissioner of the NBA, what would you tell other people who are maybe on the fence or people who have withdrawn to want to, in the future, invest in one of your franchises, the LA Clippers?”

Silver answered, “I would say that those marketing partners of the entire NBA should judge us by our response to this incident, and I think we responded appropriately, and we would be hopeful that they return in their business relationships with the Clippers.” 

Robinson’s Twitter and Facebook blew up. Many people thought Robinson was actor and comedian Keenan Thompson.

“People were like ‘is that Keenan Thompson?’” Robinson said. “Like Rick Fox tweeted, ‘That Keenan Thompson at the press conference?’ I knew the moment. You talk about seizing the moment. That was a cool moment in my career.”

Game plan: fashion

Fashion is always part of Robinson’s game plan. While he was freelancing at multiple publications, the publications sent him free items.

One of the items was bow ties, Robinson started wearing with his suits, which became a signature look.

He started partnering with companies that would send him fashion items to wear, such as bow ties, and he would post them on social media as a collaboration.

It was something that came back full circle.

“I just remember there was a point in my childhood where I wore bow ties,” Robinson said. “And it took me back to a point in life where I enjoyed bow ties as a child.”

Look good, play good.

Another part of his fashion game is his glasses. 

While he was working tirelessly, he developed dark circles under his eyes and he wanted to detract a look of tiredness as he was making television appearances.

So, he would stop at the mall to buy glasses. 

He wears glasses as a staple in his wardrobe.

“I actually don’t wear glasses,” Robinson said. “I have 20/20 vision.”

He eventually landed a partnership with a glasses company to wear glasses, and the look just stuck with him. 

“You dress to stand out,” Robinson said. “You wear what you like and you find a balance between comfortability as well as style, and I think I found something that’s different that fits.”

The Brandon Robinson story: ambitious, uncomfortable, and visionary.