Former New Orleans guard Antonio Daniels has followed the Pelicans closely in recent years for at least two reasons: One, he’s been serving as a studio analyst for Fox Sports Southwest on the team’s pregame, halftime and postgame shows. Two, as a basketball aficionado, he would be paying attention even if it wasn’t part of his job. The energetic Daniels, who has been praised for his studio work on TV, as well as on Sirius XM’s NBA shows, is joining Fox Sports New Orleans’ game coverage in 2019-20, partnering with play-by-play broadcaster Joel Meyers this season (Fox Sports NOLA carries 75 live Pelicans games each regular season). Pelicans.com caught up with Daniels this week to discuss his perspective and enthusiasm about accepting his new role in the Crescent City.
Pelicans.com: Going back a few years, how did you first get into TV and the broadcasting field?
Daniels: You know what’s funny? I tell (players) who have aspirations of being an analyst or doing something in media – you never realize or understand who might be listening. So take every interview you do seriously, take every spot seriously, because you never know who’s paying attention. All it takes is for one ear, the right ear, to open up doors for you.
About five or six years ago, I went on a San Antonio radio station, ESPN San Antonio, to promote my basketball camp, which I’ve had for 18 years. As soon as I hung up the phone, they called me right back and asked if I’d be interested in doing a sports-talk radio show. At first I told them, not really, because I had no experience in doing that. I ended up doing the show for about a year, then got a call from Sirius XM, because they had listened to that San Antonio show. I’ve been under contract now with Sirius for the past four years. From Sirius XM came being in-studio analyst for Fox Sports Oklahoma. From that, the Lord continued to open doors for me. It’s amazing how from that one interview with ESPN San Antonio, that opportunity got me to the point where I am today. It’s the ultimate blessing. So you never know who’s listening.
Pelicans.com: What were you most excited about when you decided to take this role?
Daniels: First and foremost, I’m getting paid to watch, analyze and articulate the sport of basketball. Any time you are blessed to be able to do something you’re passionate about, it’s exciting – when I’m at the gym, sitting over at my boys’ house, or they come over, you know what we do? We talk about NBA basketball. That’s what we do. So basically I’m getting paid to do something I would be doing anyway. Secondly, this position gives me an opportunity to get involved in the community. My wife and I are big-time involved in the community. I love public speaking. My wife and I were partnered with San Antonio’s parks and recreation department, hosting boot camps for people who could not afford gym memberships. We’ve shared our testimony throughout Texas. This opens me up for more opportunities to get involved with the community of New Orleans.
Pelicans.com: What is your perspective on coming in right at the start of kind of a new chapter for the franchise, including having the No. 1 pick and making so many positive recent changes?
Daniels: This is the most excited people have been for a New Orleans season ever. I don’t think there has ever been this type of buzz around Pelicans or Hornets basketball. Ever. This is not pressure I’m putting on Zion (Williamson); this is just facts. That ping-pong ball changes franchises and history, if you think about the way you thought about Pelicans basketball before that ping-pong ball, and how you think about it afterward. And David Griffin is amazing at his job. Getting him was huge in its own right. If you look at his resume and know what he’s about, he knows how to put together basketball teams that can challenge for championships.
Things have changed so much, so quickly. What is there not to be excited about? You’ve checked all the boxes off for this team. There is a blend of youth and experience, which is what you want to be a competitive team. You don’t want to be too old, but you also don’t want to be too young. You have shooting, physicality and excitement, a buzz back in this city. I couldn’t be more excited about what this season is going to mean for this franchise moving forward.
Pelicans.com: What are you looking forward to most about making the transition from studio analyst to game analyst?
Daniels: The biggest thing is calling it as it happens. The one thing about in-studio analysis is you’re talking about the past, what already happened. At halftime, you’re talking about the first half. Postgame, you’re discussing the entire game. Talking about the past is your job. In this position, this allows you to analyze and articulate as it happens. My job is not to state the obvious. That’s one thing I pride myself on. I want to try to bring a player’s perspective, to get the fans to see the game through the eyes of a player.
Pelicans.com: Lastly, going back to the 2008-09 season, what are your favorite memories from playing in New Orleans for the then-Hornets?
Daniels: Some of the guys I played with. I still see and talk to Chris Paul throughout the season, for example. The opportunity to develop relationships. The NBA is a fraternity. I got to know CP, David West, Morris Peterson, while I was there. Rasual Butler, God rest his soul. I get asked all the time, “Do you miss playing?” Well yeah, but I still play (basketball) a good amount. I miss the competition. But more than anything else, I miss the camaraderie – I miss the team dinners, plane rides, the team meetings. That’s what you miss the most as a player, once you walk away.
