Snoop Dogg's NBA analyst role underscores why his on-air presence and global appeal keeps growing

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Snoop Dogg arrived at Intuit Dome hours before tipoff, long before most fans filled the arena and even before some players.

Dressed in a gray suit and black turtleneck, a diamond-encrusted Peacock pendant resting on his chest and purple Chuck Taylor sneakers with gold laces nodding to his lifelong Los Angeles Lakers allegiance, Snoop didn’t rush. He didn’t posture. He waited for his moment to shine as an NBA analyst alongside Reggie Miller and Terry Gannon for Peacock’s recent Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers broadcast during the second half.

With an AP reporter trailing him through the arena for an all-access, behind-the-scenes look at his preparation — including time in the green room ahead of the broadcast — Snoop made it clear that this wasn't a cameo.

“I don’t believe NBC would have gave me this opportunity if they thought I was coming in there playing games,” said Snoop, who won over global audiences during the Paris Olympics in 2024. “It's not so much about me. It's so much about what the game is needing right now.”

In recent months, Snoop underscored his ease in live, unscripted settings across major TV stages. He continued his work on NBC’s “The Voice,” performed during Netflix's Christmas Day NFL broadcast, went viral at the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl and presented and did interviews at Sunday's Golden Globes — where Amy Poehler and Stephen Graham praised his presence. That visibility has coincided with a deepening relationship with NBCUniversal, which continues to expand his role across sports and entertainment with next month's Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, including NBA coverage.

Before opening tip of the Jan. 5 game, Snoop sat in production meetings and joined the coaches' meetings with Steve Kerr and Tyronn Lue. He lingered near the Golden State Warriors’ locker room, occasionally dancing as his own music blared from inside, patiently waiting to interview Warriors star guard Stephen Curry a couple hours before the game.

Snoop’s approach resonated with the players he covered.

“He can find his way anywhere in any environment,” Curry said. “It was cool to see all the different versions of Snoop.”

Curry has seen Snoop's ability to move comfortably between worlds long before this night. The sharpshooting guard recalled seeing Snoop around Team USA during the Paris Olympics, where he blended seamlessly into the basketball environment while connecting easily with players away from the court.

“He caught me off guard at the beginning because he gave me three really straightforward basketball questions,” Curry said of Snoop’s Warriors-Clippers pregame interview. “Then I heard he got to it on the broadcast. … He was a great addition.”

Whether Snoop is on a global broadcast, major streamer or a sideline, he reads the room in real time. That feel showed up again at the Arizona Bowl, when he snagged a deep kickoff mid-interview, losing a shoe but securing the ball. It was a spontaneous moment that quickly went viral and showed why he continues to resonate in live settings.

Moments like that help explain why Snoop's presence keeps widening. He's set to be part of NBC’s coverage of the upcoming Winter Olympics, further extending a presence that now spans sports, entertainment and generations of viewers.

Miller, who played 18 years with the NBA's Indiana Pacers, said Snoop's versatility and seriousness stood out even behind the camera.

“He’s authentic,” Miller said. “Questions that he asked in the coaches meetings, stepping up and asking informed questions of Steve Kerr and Ty Lue. He could have just sat back and listened. No, he's getting his hands dirty.”

Gannon echoed those sentiments.

“It's not like he's just showing up and saying ‘I’m here,'” he said. “He put in the work and effort. The broadcast was seamless because of that.”

Snoop said he studied legendary broadcasters, particularly the late Chick Hearn, who was the play-by-play announcer for more than 40 years with the Lakers. The rapper viewed his role as someone who understands basketball deeply but speaks from outside the traditional broadcast lineage.

“I represent the average Joe, despite being me being a well-known celebrity,” he said. “The NBA has moved forward to where it deserves to have people like me who understands the game, know the game and can speak to the game and also bring new viewers.”

Snoop's perspective showed up immediately once he went on air.

He called out the Warriors' Draymond Green for taking — and missing — too many 3-pointers, while praising his ability to function as a point-forward. He noted Curry’s ability to play through an ankle injury in the third quarter. He labeled on-court chemistry “cookies and cream like they about to open up a cookie shop,” dubbed Curry “Stephisticated” and punctuated a scoring burst with “two-piece chicken nuggets.”

When Warriors coach Steve Kerr was ejected after disagreeing with referees on a goaltending call, Snoop’s bold personality cut through the moment, shouting “Inglewood” as the crowd roared inside the Intuit Dome, which is located in Inglewood, California.

“When the lights are on, that's when I shine the brightest,” Snoop said.

Snoop said he'd welcome more opportunities to call NBA games, viewing the analyst role as a natural extension of a career built on curiosity and evolution. He's eager to immerse himself in the Winter Olympics, where he'll once again be an NBC correspondent and join Team USA as an honorary coach.

He'll serve as an ambassador and supporter for American athletes in the lead-up and throughout the Games. He's also hosting an event with Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard during NBA All-Star week next month.

“I feel like I'm progressing myself as a full-on entertainer,” Snoop said. “This is a part of entertainment, being able to pull people into things they may or may not be interested in. I would love to do more of this.”

Snoop is certainly living a dream with a simple through line: Show up, do the work and stay open to what comes next.

“When you master who you are,” he said. “you understand that you're not one dimensional. You evolve.”

Snoop Dogg, records a segment on the court before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

NBA analyst Snoop Dogg stands on the court before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Debuting as an NBA analyst, Snoop Dogg, right, records a segment with Terry Gannon before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Debuting as an NBA analyst, Snoop Dogg, records video on the court before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Debuting as an NBA analyst, Snoop Dogg, right, records a segment with Terry Gannon before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

NBA analyst, Snoop Dogg, right, appears with Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, center, and former NBA player and lead game analyst for NBC Sports, Reggie Miller, following the team's NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Health and wellness advice is available in abundance on social media — from trendy to informative to straight-up disinformation — and you're far from alone in seeing it.

A new survey by the Pew Research Center finds that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults — and around half of those under 50 — get health information from social media or podcasts.

Researchers also looked at the social media profiles of 6,828 health and wellness influencers with at least 100,000 followers. Only about 4 in 10 list a background as a health professional. About one-third called themselves coaches, about 3 in 10 described themselves as entrepreneurs and about 1 in 10 cited their own life experience, like being a parent.

Despite the wide range of expertise, about half of people who get health and wellness information from influencers said the influencers help them better understand their own health, while about one-third said it hasn't made much difference. About 1 in 10 said it made them more confused.

Experts say a bit of skepticism is key to interacting with posts about fitness, mental health and personal health. Here are their tips on how to be a smarter consumer.

Experts said the biggest green flag is when an influencer's credentials are easy to find on their profile. Beware the fill-in-the-blank “coach” who can't prove their training.

Courtney Babilya, a certified medical exercise specialist and personal trainer who has more than 430,000 followers on Instagram, has seen this with maternity content: "Someone has a baby and suddenly they’re a pregnancy coach.”

“We have to be careful with people who have an experience in one thing and suddenly become a ‘coach’ on that,” she said.

Coach is a business model, not a sign of training. Babilya shares her own experience dealing with chronic illness online, but keeps it separate from her professional advice.

"You do have an obligation to make sure that you are not giving someone a false idea or spreading a message that isn’t going to be applicable to everyone," she said.

If it brings up big emotions, pause. For people who can't access care or feel unheard by their doctors, an offbeat opinion could feel like a long-sought answer. The Pew survey found 53% of uninsured people got health information from social media, compared to 38% of those who were insured.

But people who are trying to share good medical information online are not trying to incite fear or surprise, said Dr. Fatima Daoud Yilmaz, an OB-GYN at Stony Brook Medicine in New York, whose popular “Feminine Aisle” video series rates drug store products.

Even if the person has expertise, ask yourself: Are they speaking outside the scope of their knowledge? Is what they're saying in line with scientific consensus?

“All opinions are not created equal when it comes to something such as health or medicine or science,” said Daoud.

Look out for exaggerated or definitive claims, especially in the first few seconds of the video when influencers are trying hard to grab your attention, added Babilya.

Ambivalent wording is a good sign, said Nedra Glover Tawwab, a practicing therapist and author. In her videos on boundaries and mental health, she couches with “maybe,” “sometimes,” “perhaps," rather than diagnosing her 1.8 million followers on Instagram.

If you feel like you've found a diagnosis online, that is your sign to seek out a professional, Tawwab said.

People on social media are making money — for some, it is their livelihood.

“It doesn’t mean that all of the information that they put out is biased, but it should tell consumers of that information to take it with a grain of salt because they do have financial incentive to be pushing information like this,” Daoud said.

Babilya's platform is now a full-time job, and the way she helps support her family. Taking partnerships and brand deals was not an easy decision, but one that makes her work sustainable.

Babilya said she prioritizes being upfront with her audience and making sure her ads are transparently labeled.

Experts also recommend pausing to check the video’s sources. Look for gold standard science. Some posts are not well fact-checked, Babilya warned, citing studies that have nothing to do with what the influencer says it does.

Use the same standard as when you’re vetting a purchase online. Look at the larger conversation around the advice as you would reading product reviews, Tawwab said.

Two-thirds of users said they just happen to come across the content rather than seeking it out, according to the Pew survey.

If you want to control your feed, it will take time and ongoing effort, said Ash Milton of the University of Minnesota, who studies how users navigate online mental health information.

“You have to work for it because the algorithm is designed to be passive consumption,” Milton said.

You can use “Hidden Words” on Instagram or “Not Interested” on TikTok to filter out certain content, though Milton notes TikTok might not know exactly what in the video you're not interested in. Use your own reaction as a barometer to limit content by asking yourself: Is the health information actually applicable and helpful to your life, or just relatable?

Confirm with a trusted health professional before acting on anything you see online.

Influencers can say anything while medical professionals are ethically and legally liable for your care, and “may face professional and personal consequences for the advice that they give you," Daoud said.

“Ultimately, talk to the medical provider who knows you,” she said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - Young people use their phones to view social media in Sydney, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)