For every child who loves basketball, the ultimate dream is to make it to the pros. When children are captivated by basketball, they will strive for excellence, no matter how impossible that dream may seem.
Playing all hours of the night with friends in the driveway, where the only light that allows you to see the hoop is an old, used-up flashlight in your dad’s garage. Utilizing your parents’ car as a stopper, so the ball doesn’t drift too far away coming off the rim. Hearing the sound of crickets and slapping your legs as mosquitoes feast on your skin. Imagining you’re the next Kobe Bryant or Candace Parker. Nothing is stopping you from being the best player on that driveway — not even those relentless mosquitoes.
Joey Mistretta lived through all those experiences as a kid playing ball in his driveway.
Kid with a Dream
Joey Mistretta grew up in Lake Arrowhead, CA — a small town with a population of 13,000. He is the youngest of four siblings, with three older sisters.
“I like to say I was a late-life oops because my parents had me when they were 40,” said Joey.
When other kids were watching cartoons, Joey was watching Dan Patrick host SportsCenter. His childhood dream no different than any other kid who grew up loving sports; he wanted to go to the NBA or the Majors.
Growing up, baseball was Joey’s main sport. He idolized three-time All-Star and Silver Slugger, Grady Sizemore. Eventually, due to his high school being so small, and baseball only being available for two years, he would have to transition to basketball.
“Basketball was my primary focus, I was hooping all the time,” said Joey. “My buddies and I would hoop until late at night. My buddy had this light stashed away and we would set up a hoop at one of our houses and put that light on the back of my 2015 Tacoma truck. I think we all got way better at basketball just playing 21 together, in addition to practice and games. Also, we played a lot of 2K.”
The transition proved seamless. All of his hard work in the driveway and on the sticks would help pave his way towards significant recognition at Lake Arrowhead Christian High School. “We won our first-ever boys championship (in any sport) in 2015-16, and I won athlete of the year as well.”
Just by working hard at his craft, even if it was busting his friends for 50 in the driveway and playing NBA 2k, Joey reached satisfying new heights.
Family First
After winning the high school championship and graduating in 2016, Joey left home to attend the University of Biola in La Mirada, CA. His decision to leave, however, did not come without hesitation.
“The summer after graduation, I found out that my second-oldest sister, Marnie, was diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer,” said Joey. “Leaving home was tough, but my parents said I had to go.”
Joey would make the hour-and-a-half drive home to visit every weekend during his freshman year. He wanted to be with his sister as much as possible. Sadly, Marnie passed away at the end of 2018.
“She fought so hard for those two years. I remember everyone was freaking out and so worried, and she just stayed so calm. She trusted God the whole time. That spoke to me in that there is someone bigger than us.”
Joey was going through a rough time in college. He had broken up with his girlfriend and he stopped playing sports, on top of his sister’s diagnosis. So, he had fallen out of his Christianity a little bit.
“When [Marnie] passed, what she meant to our family and how she handled the days before her passing, it reminded me of what’s really important. Her passing in a way helped me get fully back on track.”
New Beginnings
When he first came into college, Joey wanted to pursue business, but some challenges prevented him from succeeding, leading him to dive into another career with passion written all over it.
“When I entered college, I wanted to major in business, so I was doing that while I did my GE’s,” said Joey. “But I quickly realized, I could not pass accounting to save my life. So I thought to myself, I’m a pretty good writer, I know sports—maybe I make this transition.”
Before his junior year, Joey made the decision to transfer to journalism school.
“The biggest thing I learned… You know, it’s funny. They used to tell me to start local. You don’t really need to start local at a small organization. With digital media, the outlets are endless, and you can really do anything with the platforms nowadays.”
Not only did Joey overcome the challenge of losing his sister, but he also dealt with another challenge after graduating from college in 2020. This time, the obstacle had to do with a four-time Defensive Player of the Year.
“When Rudy Gobert touched the microphones, we all got sent home for COVID,” said Joey. “I remember graduating in May and doing my last final on my couch. Trying to find a job in sports when there’s no sports going on is pretty dang hard.”
That summer, Joey would do nothing besides golf, play pool, and hang out with his friends at the lake — while also trying not to be the next person to contract the virus.
From the Ground Up
Luckily, Joey would eventually land a low-paying baseball broadcasting job and an unpaid sports internship.
“I wasn’t making very much money, so I was living at home with my parents. I said to myself, do I really want to pursue this? I actually switched for a month or two to sell insurance. I hated it. Everyone was calling me Jake from State Farm.”
Joey would soon realize that he didn’t want to be “Jake from State Farm”, he wanted to be Joey the Sports Journalist. A few months after some indecisiveness, he would land a job at ClutchPoints; his life turned around immediately.
He started as an editor and writer, working remotely to begin his journalism career. He caught the eyes of many in the industry and started to get invited to various events as a reporter, including a childhood-dream-come-true experience — covering the NBA 2K events in Las Vegas and L.A.
“I got to interview guys like Cade Cunningham, Tyler Herro, and Matt Barnes,” said Joey. “Lil Wayne also performed at the party in L.A.”
Absolutely crushing his new reporting gig, Joey moved to Dallas to cover the Wings and the Mavericks in 2023.
His credentialed reporting career would start off with a bang — he covered the Dallas Mavericks’ finals run in 2024.
“Although the Mavericks lost, I’ll never forget that experience. The NBA Finals featured media members from all over the world. There were celebrities at the games, and the atmosphere was electric. Interviewing the players and coaches during such a historic moment was thrilling.”
Dallas Dynamo
Any budding journalist would salivate over the opportunity to cover athletes as extraordinary as Paige Bueckers and Cooper Flagg. Joey has greatly enjoyed this privilege, reporting on the Wings and Mavericks for the past two years.
Bueckers is an elite mid-range shooter with dynamic scoring ability. She is an above-average playmaker and has great footwork. Her efficiency and ability to score at all three levels, as well as her solid defense have captivated the WNBA world.
“There’s really nothing she can improve on,” laughed Joey when asked if there’s anything Bueckers needs to improve. “No, there’s always something to improve. For me personally, I would like to see her shoot more threes.
“She’s been sensational. I love that I get the opportunity to cover a generational star in their first season. It’s been cool to watch her historical rookie year.”
Lucky for Joey there’s another young, generational basketball talent coming to Dallas this year.
“Everyone tells me—either the players or people around the team— they are excited for the future,” Joey said. “It’s not fake. It makes me excited as a reporter. I want to see them win. I think they can do it sooner rather than later.”
When asked by when he thinks the Wings will win a WNBA title, Joey answered, “if the lockout doesn’t occur, I’m going to say 2027.” He laughed, “might come back to bite me a little bit, but we’ll see.”
The Dallas Wings are one of the most intriguing teams going into the off-season. They’re surrounded with questions like: What are they gonna do with Arike Ogunbowale? If she goes elsewhere, how will the wings replace her production? What are their plans with their draft pick? Will they swing for the fences and grab a star to pair with Paige, or will they keep their draft pick and continue rebuilding?
“It all depends on whether Ogunbowale stays with the team,” said Joey. “Arike is a great player. That’s the biggest question mark. Other than that, everybody is saying they’re trying to build for the future. They love this young core.”
Newfound Perspective
Journalists have to be willing to accept that you might not make a lot of money to begin your career. They have to accept that not every article will go viral. With so many people trying to make it in the industry, journalists might get a lot of “no’s” before that desired “yes”.
While Joey’s career has gone to great heights, at a rapid rate, the Dallas Wings’ and Mavericks’ reporter still preaches patience in becoming a successful journalist.
“It’s going to take time,” said Joey when asked for advice on how to make it in sports journalism. “It might take getting those unpaid internships or low-paying jobs. I think one of the biggest things is making connections.
“Shams Charania would cold-call people around the industry. Also, if you have the opportunity to attend games or events, do that. Make a good impression and be professional. Be professional but don’t be afraid to show your true self as well.”
Joey has overcome a lot of challenges and adversity to get to this point in his career. He has lived by his own advice—being himself. Yet, he carries himself with a profound professionalism and confidence that has skyrocketed him to dreams he could only imagine as a kid. He even still owns and drives that 2015 Tacoma truck.
The challenges he endured made him who he is today. He might still be knocking on doors selling insurance if he hadn’t embraced the adversity and kept moving forward. He’s a hard worker, relentless in his love for sports, a strong personality, and above all else, devoted to his family.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without my mom, Therese, and my dad, Frank. They have believed in me and given me the confidence to pursue my dream.”
A dream turned reality, Joey has ascended the basketball journalism ranks. With everything he has accomplished and how much he’s been through, there’s only one question left to ask: What’s in that Lake Arrowhead water?
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