Becoming a professional insider is one of the hardest things to do in sports.
For Brett Siegel, his path to becoming a prominent NBA reporter was much different than most in his field.
Brett Siegel’s Beginning
Brett Siegel’s story begins up north on the cold streets of New Jersey, where he discovered his love for sports. From a very young age, he was always involved with athletics, and baseball was his first obsession.
“Baseball was really my passion growing up,” Siegel said. “I was one of those kids who was like, ‘I’m going to be the next Derek Jeter. I’m gonna play shortstop for the New York Yankees and follow in his footsteps.’ Everything for me was always about baseball.”
Siegel further explained his devotion to baseball and reminisced about the diamond and those memories from his childhood.
“Whether it was baseball cards, watching the games, collecting figurines, it was always baseball, baseball, baseball. And, other than that and soccer, I didn’t really play many other organized sports. I would play them on the side.”
Dual-Sport Athlete
His drive for greatness kept him busy with sports year-round. If he wasn’t playing almost every position in baseball, he was on the soccer field, fine-tuning his craft as a goalie. After all, being a catcher in baseball made him a better goalie in soccer, and vice versa.
“I loved playing soccer in the fall. I was involved with recreational and travel soccer. So, that and baseball were my two main sports, and then everything else was just kind of on the side.”
Via sports, it was evident from the start that Siegel had an insatiable work ethic. More importantly, his internal competitive drive stood out in everything he accomplished.
Although he may not have always been the most skilled athlete on the field, his mental approach gave him an advantage over the competition, leading to success both in and out of athletics.
But the constant physical activity would eventually overcome his mental strength and have an adverse effect on Brett’s body.
A Change in Philosophy
In the Fall of 2012, Brett’s journey into the world of athletics truly began as a freshman at Mount Olive High School. Although sports had shaped him into the person he was entering high school, this was his first chance to prove he had what it took to take the next step toward his dreams.
That’s why he had his eyes set on making the varsity soccer team. As soon as the try-outs were posted, Siegel made his way onto the field brimming with confidence.
Although he would admit to anyone that it was a pain to wake up early every day during the summer for morning conditioning, it was all a part of the process. He was dedicated to making the team and becoming the starting goalie, even as a freshman.
A Soccer Field Setback
As all the players began their drills and broke off into their respective position groups, it was time for Brett to showcase his skills, and he stole the show.
Save after save, the coaches were impressed with every stop. It couldn’t have gone any better — until it couldn’t have been any worse.
“During the end of tryouts, I broke my thumb, and so I had this giant cast on my hand. I couldn’t really play much my freshman year,” Siegel said. “This really impacted me and my mentality entering high school as an athlete because this was the moment I had waited for. This was my chance to really take that next step to being great. Looking back on it now, it was simply a challenge to set me on a new path.”
Brett’s varsity hopes were dashed with this unfortunate injury, but his talent was apparent. His skills enticed the coaches to add him to their freshman and junior varsity rosters.
It was the perfect situation to learn his teammates’ tendencies while sitting on the bench, but if he couldn’t make an impact on the field, he would do it from the sideline.
Thus, a new course in his life presented itself.
The Start of a New Path
Brett always analyzed any sport he was playing off the field. Whether it was watching certain tendencies and abilities of professional athletes or breaking down statistics, he was constantly finding ways to expand his knowledge of sports.
In terms of his soccer career, his experience as a goalie, combined with his acumen, made him the perfect coach for his teammates while injured.
“I always explain to people that being a goalie is like playing a game of chess, and you’re playing that against the other team because you’re moving your teammates around the field, you’re letting them know everything that’s going on, you’re basically like a coach.”
After missing extensive time with his thumb injury, Siegel returned to the soccer team for his sophomore year, only to again suffer another setback.
This time, Siegel was sidelined for months with what doctors initially feared to be an Achilles injury.
Sitting On the Sidelines
Fortunately for Brett, he dodged the torn-Achilles bullet, but he couldn’t avoid his rehabilitation, nursing yet another significant injury.
Between watching the game from a different angle on the sidelines and constantly sharing stories with his fellow student-athletes, Brett’s passion for the mindset of sports, specifically from a player development standpoint, began to grow.
The feeling of watching his friends absorb feedback and improve throughout the season became so satisfying that his hobby developed into an obsession.
Finding a Passion for Coaching
His new fixation with coaching had completely taken over, quickly spreading to all his favorite sports, including basketball. While he didn’t play organized basketball on any teams, or even the high-school team for that matter, Brett always had an affinity for the hardwood.
“It’s funny because people always ask me how I got involved with basketball, and it’s hard to explain because it’s not like I played through high school or college like many. Instead, my first real foot in the door with basketball was coaching while being in high school. I loved baseball and soccer growing up, but there was just something about basketball that captivated me.”
Brett walked into his athletic director’s office, with whom he had developed a close relationship as a multi-sport athlete throughout the school year. He discussed the possibility of becoming an Assistant Coach for the Mount Olive Marauders basketball team, a position that didn’t exist.
The school never had students involved in coaching for any sport, but Siegel’s knowledge of the game was enough to make them consider it. After weeks of planning, he became the first-ever student Assistant Coach in the history of Mount Olive High School.
It was an incredible feat, yet his passion for the game was clear to anyone who knew him. Now, he realized an opportunity that could be life-changing if he maximized his resources — thankfully, working hard came easily to the New Jersey native.
X’s & O’s
“I developed a really close relationship with the coaching staff [at Mount Olive], and it was kind of weird at first, because I’m coaching my friends, and I’m telling them different things, and they’re like, ‘what does this guy know? We’re the same age, he doesn’t even play on the team.’ I get that. ”
While performing his daily activities, Brett developed a rapport with the players, who were also some of his close friends that would sit with at the lunch table every day.
Anyone who was considered an acquaintance beforehand immediately bonded with Brett over their love of basketball, and the roster as a whole would soon understand why he was chosen to be their student assistant coach.
The Rise of the Marauders
After gaining their trust in the locker room, he showed the team new moves on the court. He introduced his unique perspective on basketball to them, and it was an instant hit with the guys.
“I would teach them different zone defenses that we were running. I’d step in there and show them, ‘ hey, you gotta be over here, or you gotta be over there and do this, do that. And while the coaches were running certain aspects of practice, I would be running other stuff and running certain drills with the guys.”
“So that really allowed me to get my foot in the door in coaching, and it paved the way to kind of get where I am now, in a way, after going the coaching route.”
By the end of the 2014-15 season, the Marauders had compiled an impressive 7-3 record against conference opponents and were 15-7 overall. The team’s success boosted Brett’s confidence into the stratosphere.
From this moment, Siegel was hellbent on a professional coaching career in basketball, specifically at the collegiate ranks, which is why he had his sights set on joining an elite basketball program entering college.
Siegel’s Side Venture Introducing a Future
On one of the final days of high school, an email from the owner of CollegePridePress.com, a college basketball website run by college kids covering the school they attended or their favorite teams, caught Brett off-guard.
The owner told Siegel about the growing platform and how aspiring writers publish their ideas about the collegiate landscape.
It was an ironic set of circumstances for Siegel, who had no intentions of ever getting involved with sports media. In fact, he would always tell everyone that when he became a coach one day, he would hold terse and blunt press conferences, just like San Antonio Spurs legendary coach Gregg Popovich.
But the idea of writing and talking about basketball came easily to Siegel since it was second nature to him. He envisioned this as a great way to begin covering the team he was hoping to join: the Louisville Men’s Basketball team.
Siegel’s vast knowledge of the NBA Draft, personal player evaluations, statistics, and player scouting reports became essential to the website through the years.
The Legends of Louisville
It was hard to establish immediate connections with the basketball team as a new freshman at Louisville, so Siegel took his first year to learn the landscape of Cardinals’ athletics, with his dreams of joining the basketball team at the back of his mind.
“I wasn’t with the basketball team at all my freshman year. I was just a regular freshman, hanging out and going to the games to watch Donovan Mitchell, and then, during football season, watching Lamar Jackson win the Heisman Trophy. That was freshman year for me – watching the rise of Louisville Athletics.”
Through his connections and friendships in his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, Siegel arrived back in Louisville after summer break and became one of the few “outsiders” to move into the same building as the Louisville Men’s Basketball Team and their staff in the fall of ‘17.
Getting to know and live with the team personnel brought him one step closer to his dream of becoming a student manager, but when the FBI probe hit the Louisville program, it once again complicated Siegel’s path to joining the program.
Another Path in Media
Despite the FBI investigation creating all kinds of uncertainty surrounding the Louisville Basketball program, Siegel knew an internship was his next step to getting in with the team. But in his search for what to do while his basketball dreams were shelved for the moment, what followed couldn’t have gone any better for Brett.
“So, you’re always looking for internships during your undergrad years, and you’re trying to get fieldwork just for your major,” he said. “Since I couldn’t get on with the basketball team, I was trying to figure out what other avenues presented themselves.”
“From the very first time we visited Louisville, I remembered seeing the ESPN affiliate radio station on campus. We had this little strip on the main road through campus that we called ‘Card Town,’ and it had restaurants and some other businesses, and the radio station was there. I remember my parents pointing it out, ‘Oh, look, ESPN radio, maybe that’d be a fun gig one time.’”
That “maybe” turned into a “yes” in October of 2017 when Siegel would reap the fruits of his labor.
An Unforgettable Memory
“I figured, why not kind of dip in there?” said Siegel on the ESPN radio station. “I had a background writing about basketball, and it’d be great to learn about the radio avenue in sports. Maybe that’s a future gig for me. Maybe that’s something I look to get involved in with radio and talk shows, and so I joined them.
There were two people that helped Siegel the most at ESPN Louisville. One was Bob Valvano, who was one of the station’s main radio hosts and the brother of Jim Valvano, who coached at NC State and is remembered by ESPN through the V Foundation from his fight with cancer.
Each day there featured a new experience, and Brett’s passion for sports was exacerbated with every conversation, whether informative or casual.
Bob’s son, Nick Valvano, was the producer for Bob’s show, which Siegel interned for. He helped them out a lot, learned the ropes there, picking their brains for useful information along the way. He built more relationships, especially with Louisville Athletics, there and made connections with an array of people on the phone.
“I’ll never forget being able to call Dick Vitale that one time, even though it was for a minute or two, to just hook him up on the show with Bobby V,” said Siegel. “But to just give him the call and say, ‘Hey, how’s it going? Like, you’re awesome, can’t wait to meet you one day,’ I’ll never forget that. I owe Bob and Nick everything for really opening up this new path in sports media for me.”
The Louisville Basketball Journey Begins.
Brett Siegel’s work ethic was rewarded with eight unforgettable months at ESPN Louisville. The 212-day affair was the quickest 6,528 hours a human being could ever experience.
After combining his NBA Draft coverage at College Pride Press with the experience at the ESPN radio station, it was clear that Siegel had hit a new level. His basketball expertise was undeniable, impressing anyone who read his articles or listened to his takes at the station.
He kept his eyes on the bigger picture and took the time to meet the current basketball managers in his building, establishing organic relationships for the immediate future.
By this point, the dark cloud of the federal investigation hung over the university in the aftermath of Pitino’s departure, preventing Siegel from joining the program during his sophomore year.
Half of his time in college had gone by, and his dreams of becoming a manager to embark on a journey in coaching were fading. But it was then that the dust settled, and Chris Mack was named the Cardinals’ new head coach in 2018.
At that moment, the door opened for new faces on the staff, including Siegel.
Creating ‘Moneyball’ in Basketball
Throughout the entire fiasco, Brett Siegel remained focused, meeting staff member after staff member. Living in the same building allowed him to make his presence felt, and his basketball acumen was prevalent in every interaction.
As he grew closer to the staff, so did his confidence, leading him to showcase his abilities from College Pride Press. His resume was established as their newly minted draft expert, and his time with the Valvanos.
Junior year arrived, and the Cardinals were ready to get back to business. After years of waiting and building his repertoire, the new staff members were so impressed with Brett’s work ethic that they decided to add him as a student manager before the 2018-19 season.
Aside from doing the small things, like taking care of equipment and setting up practices, Siegel began using his passion for data analytics to aid in player development. He started creating advanced statistical spreadsheets for the team based on efficiencies, both good and bad. He shined during meetings with the coaching staff and the team, offering a new modern-day perspective on the game with data analytics.
A Numbers Game
“I not only wanted to make the most of my experience as a manager to continue on this path to coaching, but more importantly, I wanted to win,” said Siegel. “I didn’t care if I stayed up the entire night working on these analytical spreadsheets because winning and making sure the team was as good as they could be is all that mattered.”
“Basically, I always tell people what I was doing was essentially “Moneyball” but for basketball. It was all about efficiency and maximizing our team’s skill while focusing on what made our opponents weak.”
His data sheets also outlined the strengths and weaknesses of every player and provided routes of improvement. When his senior year arrived, Siegel took things a step further and began dissecting each of Louisville’s upcoming opponents, directly aiding each assistant coach with scouting their rivals.
Brett’s impact contributed to a 20-14 record during the 2018-19 season, but the improvements would truly take effect the next year. By the end of the 2019-20 season, Coach Mack led the Cardinals to a 24-7 record, including wins over the No. 3-ranked Duke Blue Devils, UNC Tar Heels, and Michigan Wolverines, while Louisville was the No. 1 team in the AP poll.
“Everyone always asked why I would bury myself in the numbers and these charts I was making 24/7 instead of being a normal college kid, but like I said, winning was all that mattered. We were winning games, we were the best in the country, and all of us in that building had a role to play in order to reach our ultimate goal of making it to the Final Four.”
The Consequences of the Coronavirus
With their championship hopes riding high and the team preparing for postseason play, Louisville was viewed as one of the best teams in the entire country. Their hopes of making the Final Four were real.
Unfortunately, thrill and agony come hand in hand. While Siegel was living the dream, helping the Cardinals’ coaching staff reach the top of the ACC and prepare for the NCAA Tournament, the Coronavirus was ravaging the world.
To Brett’s surprise, and the rest of the world’s, schools began shutting down as word of the virus spread from country to country. The respiratory virus had taken hold in China, and it was coming to the U.S, putting the 2020 NCAA Tournament in serious jeopardy.
“We were at UNC Greensboro, and were practicing there, getting ready for the ACC tournament. That’s when we started picking up on this whole COVID thing, with people saying there’s some kind of virus going around,” Siegel said. “People are wearing masks, certain sporting events are not having fan attendance, etc, and when we were practicing, that’s when we got the notification that the NCAA Tournament would be played with no fans. Shortly after, everything was cancelled.”
Global Silence
In 2020, every student was sent home and robbed of traditional graduations, including the Cardinals, who were not focused on school as much as their championship aspirations.
A basketball game would be the last thing on their minds as multiple countries began closing their borders. On March 12, 2020, the NCAA made history by cancelling the tournament for the first time since its creation in 1939.
Instead of spending his last March chasing the elusive NCAA Championship, Brett’s dreams suddenly came crashing down, along with the rest of his classmates’, and he was left wondering what this meant for his coaching career.
He was forced to move on from Louisville and the basketball program with no real closure.
Siegel graduated with a degree in Sports Administration, and just like that, everything was over.
Leaving the Nest
It was time to figure out what the next steps of his life would be about, especially since the college basketball and coaching world was shut down. The planet as a whole was in a dark place in 2020, but sitting in silence wasn’t something Brett was accustomed to.
Becoming complacent wasn’t an option, even in the face of a deadly disease. He still wanted to coach, and it felt like a real possibility with his connections from the university.
The burning desire to continue his coaching career inspired Siegel to pursue a role as a Graduate Assistant with multiple top-tier programs around the nation, but no one was hiring new staff members because of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.
Brett still wanted a career revolving around basketball, especially since he had given years of his life to the sport. With limited options open at the time, Siegel decided to get involved with the media side of things again.
The pandemic ushered in a new digital age as people adjusted to a life in solitude. Quarantining forced everyone to connect virtually, and Siegel took full advantage of the paradigm shift by once again becoming a writer.
Solidifying the Future
Siegel never envisioned himself working in sports media. He did not go to school to be a journalist, nor did he really ever like to read or write. But writing about basketball immediately clicked with Brett, prompting him to pursue new opportunities.
The sports industry is a cold tundra for those who aren’t prepared for it, but Siegel’s resume was insurmountable after fortifying it in college with the Cardinals.
His expertise on Louisville basketball helped him secure a writing job at FanSided, covering his alma mater for Big Red Louie, and his expertise made him an ideal writer for an opening on FanSided’s Golden State Warriors website, Blue Man Hoop.
Writing for two sites naturally brought more exposure, and in October of 2021, he received an offer from the NBA Analysis Network. Although his heart lay on the sideline with basketball coaches, his natural talent for news reporting immediately took form. He was now hellbent on becoming an NBA insider
Building Bridges
Brett Siegel started forming relationships with some of the top basketball agents. Coincidentally, he worked with some of the players in college, learning about their respective journeys in the game they all love.
He was able to pick their brains and form genuine friendships with those who had been involved with the NBA for decades. Siegel began combining his media expertise with his on-court experience working for one of the top collegiate programs in the country to immediately establish a strong voice in the sports industry.
While covering the league for the rising media platform, Brett appeared on national radio stations like CBS Sports and ESPN affiliates, as well as numerous podcasts, to discuss the NBA’s biggest storylines. Soon after, he began gathering more intel and building more relationships, which led to exclusive stories and insights into the league’s inner workings.
Fastbreak On FanNation
Siegel’s new connections made him a reputable source for information, leading to another opportunity with Fastbreak on FanNation, an affiliate of Sports Illustrated, in April of 2022.
He strapped himself to a rocket ship after launching the Fast Break Podcast on October 13, 2022. Every show, he would provide new, inside information about the NBA, bringing on other well-known NBA reporters and journalists, and turning the podcast into an overnight success.
Brett was ahead of the curve and rising up the ranks in such a short amount of time for someone who never intended to be a reporter. As 2022 came to an end and 2023 began, his inside information and intel stories, specifically on the NBA Draft, stamped his credibility.
Fans around the basketball community kept tuning in for his latest scoops, leading to the perfect role to build his name on the world stage with at ClutchPoints.
Breaking NBA News at ClutchPoints
On April 28, 2023, Brett Siegel announced that his 27th episode of the Fastbreak podcast would be his last, as he prepared for a new chapter.
The potential of ClutchPoints intrigued Siegel, as it did many other young journalists on the rise. Founder Nish Patel established the media company in 2015, and the brand was an instant hit. It became known for its NBA coverage, with Tomer Azarly and other reputable beat reporters joining the website.
As the lead NBA insider for a big platform like ClutchPoints, Siegel’s success skyrocketed. He continued to build relationships with prominent agents, players, team personnel, scouts, and front-office personnel for all 30 teams.
Even the league itself took notice of Siegel’s craft, leading to his first opportunities to cover events such as the NBA Summer League, the NBA Cup, and the NBA Finals.
“I was always that kid who would get the notifications about deals and trades, and I would be the messenger to share all of that with my friends” said Siegel. “I’ve always been a fan wanting to know all the little details about how and why things happened in the NBA. Now I get to wake up every day and still be that fan by getting the information, but I get to find out as it’s happening and share it with the next generation of fans.”
“I always wanted to know about the why and the how, and now I’m the one telling the story instead of waiting for it. That is the most humbling and rewarding aspect of all of this for me.”
Brett Siegel Made It
After many successful draft cycles and NBA trade deadline stories, Siegel has now become a reliable source for news around the NBA, something that’s extremely difficult to be in 2026.
He’s already accomplished a lot at a young age, but he recognizes this is still the start of his journey.
“If you told me even a few years ago that I would be a reporter or writing every day of my life, I would have called you crazy, but it’s funny how certain things happen in life.
“That mental strength and competitiveness I always had growing up, and still have even stronger now, keeps me itching for the next day, week, month, and so on in this business. I’ve always been a fan of basketball and always wanted to be able to teach others about the basketball world.”
Siegel ended the interview expressing gratitude for the industry and his biggest inspiration to continue in this cutthroat industry.
“Words can’t describe the feeling I get from being able to be the one to break stories and share the story of the NBA with the world. And I also know I wouldn’t have the chance to even be in this type of position without Woj, Shams, and so many others setting the foundation for the NBA insider role.”
“But I’m not trying to be like them. I want to keep being the first Brett Siegel, using my coaching and analytical backgrounds to forge my own path for many years to come.”
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