No Chill Gil is not the first place someone would go to for advice, but all the budding podcasters out there should listen to this one. Gilbert Arenas is so big in the podcasting space that one can almost forget he was an elite NBA player for a while. He already had podcasts for basketball, gaming, and lifestyle before he launched his football show with Skip Bayless. All while ensuring that no one but the people involved in producing the revenue is pocketing it. After what his frequent collaborator, Shannon Sharpe, dealt with, he’s glad he stuck to his self-taught lesson.
ICYMI, Shannon Sharpe was close to a $100 million deal for his podcasting network, Shay Shay Media Network, which includes Club Shay Shay and Nightcap, as well as Jeff Teague’s Club 520 in April 2025 (before he was let go by ESPN). His existing deal with Volume was set to expire, and a reportedly nine-figure offer was on the table.
It’s unclear what happened to the deal – if it’s still in the works or called off – but Gilbert Arenas revealed that not only was the deal real, Arenas was in talks with the same people. But Sharpe may have rejected it due to the terms (or he was referring to Sharpe’s previous podcasting arrangement). “This is what happened. Shannon Sharpe had a deal; he was asking for the $100 million, we all know, right? So I’m in a meeting and people who offered him the deal said, ‘We didn’t get to that price, he wanted that price, but this is the price we was at.’ And I said, ‘Wait, godd–n! He didn’t want $100 million.’ There we go.”
According to Arenas,
Sharpe wanted something like a three-year, $80 million deal. He also confirmed that it was for the entire Shay Shay Network, including Teague and Bubba Dub’s shows. As per the NBA legend, if Sharpe took the $100 million upfront, not only he, but also Teague, Chad Ochocinco, and Bubba would lose the revenue rights on their content.
When Arenas spoke to the unidentified company, something clicked for him. “So when I see he had all these shows, and that’s what y’all were giving him for that? I was like, ‘Well, what if all of it was under one umbrella?’ And that’s when I start thinking. Get the football show going… do the gaming show, and it’s all under one umbrella, because I know there would’ve been a problem with, you know, once that deal would’ve come, Teague would’ve been, ‘where’s my money…’”
There’s still no conclusive update on this supposed deal.
And Sharpe’s abrupt firing from ESPN, along with the controversies this year, overshadowed a big part of the podcast business. But even if it surprised Arenas, this situation wasn’t going to change how he was already running things.
Gilbert Arenas protects his revenue
Besides his flagship show, Gil’s Arena, which features Nick Young, Kenyon Martin Sr., and Rashad McCants among others, he also has his solo show, No Chill Gil, that occasionally features Brandon Jennings. He has a show alongside his wife, Melli Monaco, and recently launched a Gil’s Arena-style football show with Skip Bayless.
As his usual co-host, Josiah said, Gil always ensured that the entire crew got their rightful share of the revenues. To protect that, Arenas was not going to bring a big media house into their business. “There’s a reason why I’ve never signed anybody’s podcast under us, because I don’t know how it’s working, and every deal I heard, the n—– get screwed.” he said.
A lot of athletes have taken inspiration from Arenas, Matt Barnes, and Stephen Jackson, and JJ Redick to pivot into podcasts. No longer is a traditional sportscasting job the primary second act for the retired athlete. Most players pull a Redick and are podcasting during their NBA careers – Podcast P and The Roommates, for example.
Dwyane Wade has been expressive about his ambition to build the Wy Network beyond the Timeout podcast. With so many podcasters joining the space, Arenas drops a little warning for the upstarts: “They trying to treat podcasting like the music game. Y’all got to stop taking upfront money. You’re taking upfront money to give up your YouTube revenue.”
Arenas took measures to ensure he keeps making money off his content. Other podcasters would be smart to take his cue.