Whether he believes it or not, Vincent Goodwill has established himself as one of the most trusted voices in the NBA media landscape.
With appearances on national television on First Take and Get Up, Goodwill has become a respected presence across NBA media. When he’s not on television, he’s sharing his sharp basketball insight on The Hoop Collective with Brian Windhorst.
The trust he has built with coaches, players, executives and many others has catapulted him to his current status as a national NBA analyst with ESPN. However, that success wasn’t always guaranteed. Early in his career, he had to make a decision; fortunately, he made the right choice.
From his beginnings in Detroit, MI, through every challenge, setback, and triumph along the way, Goodwill has taken every lesson and learned how to exemplify what it means to be a professional sports media personality in the national spotlight. Thankfully, for NBA fans all across the world, Goodwill achieved this success, even though it was once beyond his wildest dreams.
Detroit Shaped Goodwill Before Basketball Ever Could
Growing up on Detroit’s east side, Goodwill was naturally welcomed into the city’s undeniable basketball culture. The Pistons were a huge part of Detroit, and basketball played a huge part in his life. But his upbringing was about more than the sport. It was encapsulated by the unpredictability of the city. Although, that unsettling environment was countered by a present family and a positive community.
“Living on the east side of Detroit, you never knew what you were going to see every day,” said Goodwill. “I was protected by the older people around me. I wasn’t one of those people living life without a parachute.”
He added, “I had an aunt that ran a summer program. So, we did field trips and stuff like that—it was a lot of educational stuff. I was always around people of different backgrounds, learning how to meet people. There were a lot of experiences at the time that I didn’t realize would end up shaping me.”
A “Bad Boy” Piston at Heart
Goodwill calls himself “a child of the Bad Boy Pistons.” Growing up, he wanted to be Isiah Thomas—the undersized guard who would fight and claw against bigger opponents to accomplish what he needed to. There’s something truly special about Goodwill gravitating toward that perseverance mentality. When you look at the world he grew up in, the parallels are undeniable to the “Bad Boy” Pistons.
“I was at the downtown parade when the Pistons beat the Lakers, I remember those small memories,” Goodwill said. “I remember what that meant to people in the moment. I wanted to be Isiah Thomas growing up. I would play with the bigger kids, scraped my knee, got knocked around, played with the taller kids; that was my life, man. I loved it.”
Basketball was a huge part of Goodwill’s life at an early age. At the age of four, he was already watching Pistons games on tape. Even if they had been sitting around the house collecting dust, he would sit and relentlessly watch tapes. Sometimes, he would even know the outcome of the game beforehand.
“I remember my dad would work on Saturdays,” Goodwill said. “If the Pistons were in the playoffs, he would tape the game—the Pistons playing the Bulls on CBS. Every now and again, I’d discover these tapes and watch them. I just loved their camaraderie.”
Career-Ending Injury Changed Everything
Watching these tapes taught him a whole new way to watch the game of basketball. This inspired him to start playing the game. He was a feisty little point guard and wanted all the smoke. But unfortunately, a serious injury would ultimately end his playing career in his senior season.
“I tried to play the rest of the game,” Goodwill explained. “I was playing right-handed. The pain was so much, so I pulled myself out of the game. So, I got to the hospital at 2:00 in the morning. The doctor looked at me and said, ‘Son, you’re not going to be playing for a long time.’ That was the end of my playing career and a pretty devastating moment for me.”
The injury left Goodwill with more free time, so he began working at local shoe stores. This would become a foundational chapter in his life, as it propelled him to feeling comfortable talking to people.
“I was a shy kid, so basketball was a way to break me out of that,” Goodwill said. “Off the court, I was an introvert, so I always pursued jobs through high school and college that kind of put me in a spot where I had to talk to people. I had to break out of my shell. [Selling shoes] was the first job where I could truly engage with people.”
An English Teacher Saw What Goodwill Couldn’t
Sports and basketball in particular was always a major piece to Goodwill’s story. He watched the Pistons as much as he possibly could, and read the sports section in the newspapers and magazines every single day. He knew the writers by name; he had a passion for the game. Still, it never occurred to him that he should write about sports.
“After the injury, I was always in these honors English classes,” Goodwill said. “I never thought about sports writing. My English teacher was also the assistant football coach. One day he came to me after class and said, ‘This paper is so good’. I didn’t know what I was going to pursue in college, and I was about to leave when he said, ‘Have you ever thought about sports journalism?’ And at that moment a lightbulb went off in my head.”
Vincent Goodwill finally knew what his path was.
Upon graduating high school, Goodwill took the initiative and attended Eastern Michigan University. The transition allowed him to build on the confidence and professionalism that he gained in high school.
“I was taking the necessary classes [at Eastern Michigan], but once again I was an introvert—not sure how to do these things,” Goodwill admitted. “I had a friend of mine who was doing broadcasts for the football and basketball teams. He was writing, and I was like, he’s the man. He took me under his wing, and introduced me to some people. Soon enough, I was broadcasting games with him.”
The Right Fit with Detroit News
As he navigated being involved with sports journalism in a variety of ways—including an interview with Rasheed Wallace that was featured in Slam Magazine, after a shot-in the-dark email request—Goodwill was introduced to Art Brooks, an editor at Detroit News. In 2004-05, Brooks saw Goodwill’s talent and would offer him a position answering phone calls at Detroit News.
Goodwill was outdone at the thought of being in a newsroom and being a part of that environment.
“I would answer the phones when writers would call in to make sure that their story was in. It just seemed to some degree that I was closer, even though I was really far from where I wanted to be. It showed me that things were possible.”
He added, “I was doing the stats, the transactions, updating baseball and basketball scores; I was doing the grunt work for like two years [at Detroit News]. I was barely making any money and really started to question my career.”
A Friend’s Ultimatum Nearly Pulled Goodwill Out of Journalism
After two years of grunt work, uncertainty was at an all-time high for Goodwill. He was extremely frustrated. He had just interviewed for another Pistons publication and had hopes of getting the job. Due to the Great Recession in 2008-09, the hiring process was frozen, and Goodwill simply didn’t have the leverage at the time.
“During the hiring process, my sports editor took me out to lunch to tell me these words,” he said. “I’ll never forget what he told me. He says, ‘If you get offered this job, I don’t think you should take it.’ I asked why. And he says, ‘Because I think you are two years away from being a backup beat writer.’ You can imagine how discouraging that was for me.”
Crushed by the words he had just heard, Goodwill felt like he’d given everything to the industry, only to be left questioning whether he was doing enough. Then, one day, one of his close friends, who worked in pharmaceuticals, came to him. Unsure of what to do next, Goodwill faced a challenging crossroads.
“He’s like, ‘I’m giving you six months. If this little sports writing thing doesn’t work, then you’re coming with me, and you’re going to become an adult and make real money.’ Right at six months, I got my promotion with Detroit News. Finally, I was like, okay, maybe I’m doing something right. I am going in the right direction.”
The promotion allowed him to cover Pistons’ home games, talk to players, and attend practices. The threat to go somewhere else made Detroit News really appreciate what Goodwill was doing for the company, and he took that and never looked back. The promotion gave him the opportunity as a full-time NBA writer.
Working for a Drama-Filled Atmosphere
The Pistons were an absolute train wreck to start Goodwill’s credentialed NBA media career. Nobody knew what was going to come up in the Pistons’ organization. It was sink or swim, eat or be eaten.
“My first year with the Pistons was kind of tumultuous,” Goodwill said. “It was a lot of drama. Every day it was, who cussed the coach out, what’s going to happen now. So you kind of had to be on your toes. It was like being thrown into the deep end.”
Chicago Gave Goodwill the Electricity He Was Chasing
Goodwill perfected his craft at Detroit News and would continue on for seven more years. In 2014-15, the Pistons were on the verge of a sixth straight losing season, and he wanted the electricity that the playoffs brought; he wanted to be a part of that atmosphere. So, when Comcast SportsNet called, Chicago seemed like the perfect fit.
“Derrick Rose had just come back. LeBron had left Miami to go to Cleveland, and the Bulls were on a collision course in the East,” said Goodwill. “So I was like, okay, let’s see what this is. It ended up being writing and television, and I stayed there. I was really happy there.”
He got exactly what he wanted, because his first assignment was to cover a Bulls playoff game. He got to cover a really successful Bulls team that gained a lot of national attention, led by the former league MVP, Rose. This was a major step in his path to becoming a household name in NBA media. This period was highlighted by an exclusive interview with 2016 Bulls’ acquisition Dwyane Wade.
“Dwyane Wade was returning for the first time to Miami, and he was an absolute superstar. We talked for 10, 15, 20 minutes and it became a national story about the process of leaving Miami and everything else. He was just so honest and open, and for whatever reason he trusted me, so that was big for me.”
A superstar like Dwyane Wade trusting Goodwill with 20 minutes of his time? That says a ton about Goodwill and how respected and appreciated he is across the NBA community.
Becoming Yahoo Sports’ Go-To Guy
His interviews in Chicago included diving into the 2017 playoff fit (or perhaps non-fit?) that was Rajon Rondo, Wade, and Jimmy Butler. There was plenty of drama going on in that locker room between those three. And, maybe, with all those players leaving the following offseason, it seemed fitting that Goodwill’s contract was up in 2018; when one door closes, another one opens.
“When the Yahoo [Sports] thing happened, I was like, man, life can’t get any better than this,” Goodwill enthusiastically stated. “This is it. I’m covering the league nationally; Adrian Wojnarowski worked here, Charles Robinson worked here; it’s a nationally respected outlet. Your stuff will be seen everywhere. I was excited, and it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made in my life.”
In his seven years with Yahoo Sports, Goodwill became a national NBA insider, providing breaking news updates and extensive knowledge through his columns, and interviewing some of the biggest stars in the league. He also used what he learned from Comcast SportsNet to host the podcast Good Work with Goodwill.
“If I could pick a job, covering the NBA nationally and being able to have my own voice would be [perfect],” Goodwill said. “When the Yahoo thing happened, it was like life couldn’t get better than this. This is dope.”
ESPN Came Calling, and Stephen A. Made It Happen
Let’s just be honest. It did get better, because ESPN came calling.
“I was never looking to leave Yahoo [Sports]. I had a podcast there, I had a national column, I could cover all the playoff games, I could cover any big story I wanted to cover. Being a lead voice there was beyond my wildest dreams. I really liked my comfort zone. I called Stephen A. to tell him I’m in New York, and he asks if I want to be on the show and talk about the season opener with him the next day.”
Goodwill agreed with enthusiasm, but they wouldn’t be talking about the season opener; there were bigger fish to fry in the NBA media landscape.
“I’m on my way to the studio, and we get the notification; players have been indicted for gambling,” said Goodwill. “That rips up everything we were going to talk about. So I was like, how are we supposed to talk about this stuff? We don’t know the details or the players. That was my first day on T.V.”
Luckily for Goodwill, Stephen A. is a legend and was able to carry the show and make magic happen.
“Stephen A. has been nothing but good to me. I wouldn’t be at ESPN if it weren’t for Stephen A. I don’t even know if I’d be on [ESPN’s] radar.”
Every Experience Prepared Goodwill for This Moment
Through all of his destinations in his career, Goodwill has demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and empathy and has remained consistent in gaining the trust of players, coaches, fellow journalists, and executives around the league.
He knows that coming prepared, showing up every day, approaching players as humans, and developing chemistry and camaraderie can separate the good reporters from the great reporters.
It goes back to witnessing the “camaraderie” of the Detroit Pistons in their championship days. It goes back to the field trips he would go on, while participating in his aunt’s summer program. It goes back to the thick skin that he needed to navigate the city of Detroit. Heck, even the “getting knocked around and scraped up knees” has prepared him for the fight that is the NBA media scrums.
Only kidding. But every experience that he’s endured has made him the influential NBA journalist he is today.
“I’ve been so enormously blessed and fortunate,” Goodwill said. “I caught some breaks. I tell people all the time, man. I didn’t get to where I am if I’d never gotten anywhere. I don’t lose sight of how lucky I am. I keep that with me.”
In the end, trust isn’t given; it’s earned, and few in the NBA media have earned it more than Vincent Goodwill.
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