Straight Game Podcast recently took over Gila River Casino with a live show that featured Shaq, and now the crew is gearing up for a return to Arizona this October with another massive guest.
The podcast- produced by Cascene Gibson- didn’t just appear out of nowhere. It grew out of Cascene’s years in sports broadcasting and a chance connection with Mike Bibby, and it thrives because of its Arizona roots.
Bibby is AZ basketball royalty, born and raised in Phoenix, a Shadow Mountain High School star, and the guard who led the University of Arizona to a national championship in 1997.
“He is a god in Sacramento and a legend in Arizona as well,” Cascene says.
Eddie House cemented his name at ASU with a 61-point game against Cal before carving out an NBA career that spanned 11 years and 14 teams, capped with a Celtics championship ring.
Ty Ellis, who played internationally, had a stint as an assistant coach with the Suns and now works with USA Basketball and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.
Together, they’re a lineup of perspectives: the star, the journeyman, and the coach; three voices tied to the Valley in different ways.
Cascene built his career in TV production, running shows in Seattle and San Francisco before producing pre- and post-game coverage for NBC Sports Bay Area... a role that eventually connected him with Bibby.
“Mike didn’t know anybody in San Francisco, so I took him out to dinner. We vibed, and a few days later he said, ‘I’m working on putting a podcast together. You should be the producer.’” ...It was the spark for Straight Game.
From the jump, Cascene knew they couldn’t just rely on celebrity guests.
“These guys have a ton of stories... locker room confessions, playoff scars, coaching philosophies, and behind-the-scenes moments; that's what sets Straight Game apart."
One of the biggest stories to come out so far? Bibby’s perspective on the infamous 2002 Western Conference Finals.
“Mike says that when the NBA wants a certain outcome for a game, they bring in a certain referee team,” Cascene says. “He points to game six… Mike got elbowed in his face by Kobe Bryant... it was a bad one... and they called a defensive foul on Mike, but it was Kobe that elbowed him.” Cascene adds: “We had Chris Webber on our episode and he backed it up. And then we had Bobby Jackson on and he backed it up. Agree or don’t... that’s Straight Game.”
When Shaq joined the live show, the moment validated everything.
“Shaq is the nicest guy,” Cascene says. “Anytime you get someone that can answer questions easily and can paint a picture and then tell a story behind whatever their answer is, you’re going to get gold.”
Shaq shared stories about playing alongside Kobe and didn’t shy away from the GOAT debate.
“He said his top five centers were Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Hakeem Olajuwon, but he left himself off the list,” Cascene recalls. “Then he said, ‘But if the crowd isn’t here, I’m the number one type guy.’”
More importantly, Shaq pushed Kobe’s legacy forward: “He said people can form their own opinion on who they think is number one, but if Kobe’s not in the conversation, then he has a problem with that.”
And Shaq’s connection to the Valley runs deeper than one night on stage; he once called Paradise Valley home. When Bibby took over as head coach at Sacramento State, he recruited Shaq’s son and later tapped Shaq as the program’s GM.
“It’s a bond that made their Arizona appearance feel all the more special,” says Cascene.
For Cascene, those revelations are what makes the long hours worth it.
“We’re not scripted. We’re sticking in our lane of trips down memory lane.”
That can mean Eddie House breaking down what it’s like to live life on wheels as a journeyman, Ty Ellis pulling back the curtain on coaching culture, or Bibby confessing the mental toll of certain playoff series.
“People want the inside... And these guys give it.”
Arizona is more than a backdrop, it’s the heartbeat. House is ASU forever. Ellis coached here. Bibby grew up here, made history here, and still represents Phoenix.
"That’s why Straight Game is bringing it home again in October, with another guest ready to drop stories you won’t get anywhere else."
In the Valley, that means one thing... expect another backstage pass, another backstory, and another night where AZ gets the first listen.
“These guys have locker room confessions, playoff scars, coaching philosophies, and behind-the-scenes moments."
“People want the inside... these guys give it.”