For my money, this is the best NBA podcast there is. It provides insights not only into the intricacies of the game, but the into the machinations of the league and the headspace of its players. I consider Rob the best and most eloquent NBA writer out there, and his prose really shines on this podcast. The production is excellent, the angles are nuanced, and every topic is given the focus and care it deserves. Few people can blend masterful writing skills with unparalleled knowledge of the NBA, and none do it quite like Rob Mahoney.

More please. I’ve re-listened to each episode and I’d like some more please! Great insights and great guests.

Love this podcast. Please do some more episodes!

🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐 Greatest Of All Time

Only podcast like this. Love the work

We live just outside Seattle and listen to your podcast on the way to basketball practices. Incredibly thoughtful and well-written and produced. Thanks for bringing This American Life quality and aesthetics to the art of hoops.

Stumbled upon this podcast thanks to Andrew Sharp & Ben Golliver, as it has become one of my favorites . In terms of production, it’s arguably one of the best podcasts I’ve ever listened to. Content-wise, it breaks down what we know about basketball into the intricate details that the average eye may just gloss over. This is a podcast for more than just a fan, but a student of the game. Keep up the good work Rob! 👍🏾

Its a nice change of pace podcast that dives deep into one subject and lets you get inside how a player thinks and acts

I can’t think of another hoops pod that uses a similar format. Breakaway weaves narrative (the good kind, not the way talking heads use it) into analysis. Mahoney’s narration is so detailed that he creates vivid images. He takes some big swings with its production and very consistently connects (the ECG machine in Moves was great). My one complaint is sometimes it skews towards over-produced where the background music can be a little loud/ repetitive/ distracting. But this is a must-listen for its ambition and uniqueness in the basketball podcast landscape.

Great stuff, thanks andrew and Ben for the recommendation. Plus Rob pronounces "gif" correctly like the peanut butter! 5 stars!

This is the best basketball podcast and one of the best podcasts generally

This Podcast beautifully tells intelligent and untold stories about NBA basketball that to this point have rarely been covered. The episodes seem to cover aspects of the game that are beyond statistics and offer an intelligent narrative that lovers of basketball don’t get from mainstream, ratings driven, coverage of ESPN and other major outlets. This podcast is the antithesis of Big Baller Brand, tabloid basketball coverage, it speaks to the soul of those who love the game of basketball and enjoy understanding the game at a higher level.

The storytelling is thorough and insightful, the writing is exquisite, and the production quality is excellent. This podcast will make even the most hardcore NBA fans smarter.

I love this podcast. Rob and whole team deserve kudos for a look into the NBA that renders the people in the league more accessible and leaves me with respect for things we can’t notice from afar. Ron Adams highlighting the work of James Michael McAdoo and Damian Jones on a packed roster is telling. So is Damian Lillard’s recap of a heated exchange with Mason Plumlee. The list of anecdotes from this series are interesting and inspiring. Highly recommend for listeners of Radio Ambulante or Terry Gross.

The most unique NBA podcast out there. Probably the one podcast I get excited for the most when I see a new episode available.

Rob Mahoney's carefully crafted episodes are the audio-equivalent of a Lee Jenkins profile with the details and intrigue that drive you to want more. I highly recommend starting from the top, though the Joe Johnson episode may be the best episode for someone looking for the epitome of the series.

What a thoughtful, intelligent, and well done resource. THIS is the human and very real NBA. Thank you!

Thanks, Rob!

Easily one of the best pods out there. Great material

This has been one of my favorite sports podcasts yet. Wonderfully narrated and produced. It takes you down the less glorified routes that are essential for basketball fans to hear. Jason Terry and Joe Johnson were my two favorite episodes.

Truly informative and great to listen to.

One of the absolute best things about this NBA season. A totally unique offering in a flooded basketball podcast market. Insightful. Thoughtful. Incredible to listen to. Can't recommend highly enough.

If you are even mildly interested in the game of basketball, I guarantee that you will love this podcast. Every episode examines the game from a unique angle and uses a great, real life example to flesh out the theme. Cannot say enough great things about this pod.

Hooray for a smart in-depth take on the NBA. I dig that Breakaway focuses on likable and totally under-sung figures in the league - from role players to assistant coaches to veterans. I haven't heard stories like this elsewhere. I came away with new appreciation for Robin Lopez's nightly work (yes really)... and for the 'everybody-chuck-a-three' brand of offense that's so in vogue (and which I used to hate), etc. Props for using sound in creative ways, especially in episodes one and two, to help illustrate basketball concepts in audio form. More of that, please! Highly recommended to pickup game players and fantasy fans and vicarious dunkers and really anyone who loves the game. Because I enjoy this show and want it to be even better, two small bits of advice for Rob and the crew... a) based on your stellar writing and the stories you choose, it's clear that you love this game and care really deeply about it. I'd love to hear more of that passion come through in the way you read. Give it a bit more bounce - and some James Harden changes of pace - and I think it'll go a long way. b) As long as you have access to some of the coolest folks in basketball - pretty please ask them an oddball question or two or have them tell a story we might not otherwise hear. I bet they'd have some out-of-left-field responses (yeah wrong sport), and humor and it'd be a nice ballast for the show's earnestness and tendency toward analysis (versus narrative). Don't get me wrong I love that too but Rob's twitter feed tonally is smart and kinda irreverent. Seems like a miss not to let that sensibility inflect the show a bit more. Okay that's it. Thanks a ton for making this show. Great job and please keep it up.

In depth. Smart. Please make a second season.

Breakaway takes the time to tell a thorough, informative story about an aspect and/or individual involved in professional basketball. Listening to these stories has enhanced my enjoyment of following the NBA and the people involved with the league.

Rob Mahoney is one of the smartest basketball writers out there, and I appreciate his willingness to dive into a wide variety of interesting basketball topics. This podcast has great interview subjects and provides a storytelling angle that perhaps no other sports podcast on iTunes possesses.

Love the in depth, story approach to the game. This American Life for hoops heads.

It's like if NPR made a podcast about basketball. Great production value breaths life into a category of podcasts which typically have little to no production at all.

Interesting and produced more than the average basketball pod. You'll learn a lot and the story is entertaining too.

You guys executed really well. Great execution.

Lots of basketball podcasts springing up out there. I agree with some of the other comments, this one stands out. Good balance of story telling/player interview.

SI's best podcast meshes storytelling, scheme and great analysis

Smartly done. You'll learn about the game. Worth a listen. Look forward to future episodes.

There are a lot of basketball podcasts out there and many great ones, but this is the best and it's not particularly close. Well-produced and written with genuine insight, Breakaway is not afraid to dive into the weeds and get at the deep tissue of the game. This is much closer to Serial than most interview-focused podcasts and it stands out above the fray. Highly recommended.

Pro basketball is complicated. Listen to in-depth discussions about the intellectual elements of pro basketball theory. If you friends are still talking about ppg, check this pod out.

Stands out from a crowded field of NBA podcasts for its thoughtfulness and high quality production. Same can be said for Mahoney's writing - particularly his series - The Craft. Add to the shortlist of the best content on the NBA available for your ears with The Starters and the Lowe Post.