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Colin Cowherd is never shy about sharing his opinions, but this week the host of The Herd with Colin Cowherd made it clear there’s one story he’s intentionally avoided on his daily radio program — the recent report from Pablo Torre regarding the Los Angeles Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, and team owner Steve Ballmer.
During a segment on The Colin Cowherd Podcast, Cowherd addressed why the story hasn’t made it into his show rundown. His explanation wasn’t about fear or bias, but about interest — or lack thereof.
“I’ll give you an example of something that I haven’t talked about [on The Herd],” Cowherd said. “The Pablo Torre, Kawhi Leonard, Steve Ballmer investigation — the reason I haven’t talked about it is I don’t care. The Clippers are not a topic on L.A. sports radio.”
Moreover, Cowherd argued that despite the team’s big-market location, the Clippers don’t move the needle in Los Angeles the way other franchises do.
“In L.A. it’s Dodgers, Lakers, Rams, USC,” he said. “The Clippers aren’t a top [story]. So, as a syndicated host, nobody cares.”
Cowherd compared the decision to past instances when he’s chosen not to engage in certain discussions, referencing when LeBron James faced backlash for comments about China. Critics at the time accused Cowherd of sidestepping controversy, but he framed it differently.
“People said that’s cowardice,” he said. “And I’m like, it’s bureaucracy. Nobody cares. That’s not a good topic.”
However, the longtime host emphasized that his success is tied to his topic selection, saying roughly 90 percent of his show’s effectiveness stems from choosing stories that resonate broadly.
“One of the things I found through the years — NCAA stories, the audience doesn’t care. They know they’re incompetent,” Cowherd said. “The Kawhi Leonard [story] … it’s the Clippers. Kawhi is an enigmatic, nonverbal, unlikable star. The Clippers are about the eighth most popular sports topic in the city in which they are based. And it’s complicated. It’s a complicated story.”
Cowherd praised Torre’s reporting and called him “terrific,” even noting that his media company, The Volume, once explored hiring him. But he added that the medium itself matters.
“I think it’s [Torre’s reporting] made for podcasting, not made for broadcasting,” Cowherd said, explaining that some topics simply fit better in long-form, conversational formats like those used by podcasters such as Joe Rogan.
“I every day choose stuff I can talk about in an eight-minute segment,” Cowherd concluded. “That’s what works for my audience.”
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