Ben Golliver

Ben Golliver is an American sports journalist and author. He is a national NBA senior writer for ESPN, covering the league with national analysis, reporting, and feature storytelling. Golliver has covered 15 straight NBA Finals, the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics, and the NBA Bubble. He is the author of Bubbleball: Inside The NBA's Fight To Save A Season and has previously written for The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, and CBSSports.com. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors and featured in The Year's Best Sports Writing 2024 anthology. [edit]

Golliver grew up in Portland, Oregon, and attended Beaverton High School. His father, Roger Golliver, went to Michigan State with Magic Johnson, giving Ben early exposure to basketball culture. At age 8, he attended a Trail Blazers game where Clyde Drexler got ejected, and he cried on the concourse of Memorial Coliseum. He became a Michael Jordan addict after that. At 12, his father took him to see the Bulls play the Blazers at the Rose Garden; he witnessed Jordan strip Arvydas Sabonis and dunk, which he calls the coolest moment of his life.

He studied creative writing at Johns Hopkins University, never taking a journalism class. After graduating, he planned to join the Peace Corps but was rejected due to a heart condition requiring two surgeries. At 25, he received an artificial valve implant. His cardiologist told him, 'If you'd waited another year to see me, you'd be dead right now.' That was a turning point: he quit drinking, started eating healthier, and became a vegetarian in 2014.

In 2007, the night the Trail Blazers won the draft lottery, Golliver launched a self-published blog called 'Draft Kevin Durant,' advocating for the team to take Durant with the No. 1 pick. That blog led to a seven-year stint covering the Blazers for Blazersedge.com while he worked a day job in marketing. [edit]

Golliver's first real job in sports journalism came in 2010 when CBSSports.com hired him. In 2012, he joined Sports Illustrated as a Senior Writer covering the NBA, a role he held for six years. He moved to Los Angeles in 2015. In 2018, he became the National NBA Writer for The Washington Post, where he spent eight years and co-hosted the 'Open Floor' and 'Greatest Of All Talk' podcasts.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he spent 93 days inside the NBA Bubble at Disney World, documenting the experience. That became his book Bubbleball: Inside The NBA's Fight To Save A Season, published May 4, 2021, by Abrams Books. In 2024, his profile of Caitlin Clark was included in The Year's Best Sports Writing 2024, and the Associated Press Sports Editors recognized his short feature on the Alabama men's basketball team.

In May 2026, ESPN announced a multi-year deal with Golliver as a national NBA senior writer. He now contributes across ESPN.com and other ESPN platforms, covering the league nationally. [edit]

Golliver is known as a lifelong hoops enthusiast and an NBA writer since 2007. His professional reputation is built on long-form feature storytelling and national NBA analysis. He has worked at four major sports media outlets: CBSSports.com, Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, and ESPN. His Twitter bio describes him as an 'ESPN NBA senior writer | Bubbleball author.' He is recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors for his feature writing. No official fandom name or signature style is documented, but his work is respected for its depth and insider perspective. [edit]

Ben Golliver commands a steady, dedicated readership rather than a frenzied fanbase. As an NBA senior writer for ESPN and the author of Bubbleball, his influence stems from rigorous reporting and long-form storytelling that resonates with basketball fans and industry peers alike. His digital footprint includes a Substack newsletter and podcast appearances where he engages directly with audiences seeking deep analysis of the league's biggest stories. Unlike pop stars or athletes who inspire organized campaigns, birthday billboards, or street shutdowns, Golliver's audience consists primarily of readers and listeners who value his journalistic integrity over celebrity culture. There is no formal name for this group, nor are there documented rituals or fan-funded projects dedicated to him personally. The relationship remains professional; his followers tune in for the news, not for idolatry. While he has garnered 38,000 followers on Instagram, these accounts represent a community of sports enthusiasts rather than a unified fandom movement. iFANN has evaluated Ben Golliver's global standing, but he currently holds no placement in the published Global Top 1,000 rankings or any scope-specific lists. Consequently, no specific ordinal rank or numerical score applies to his current fame status within the iFANN system.[edit]

Ben Golliver never enrolled in a single journalism class, choosing instead to study creative writing at Johns Hopkins University. He originally planned to join the Peace Corps, but a heart condition requiring an artificial valve at age 25 forced him to abandon those plans. His cardiologist warned that waiting another year would have been fatal. Following his surgery, he quit drinking and adopted a vegetarian lifestyle in 2014. A devoted birder, he maintains membership in both the National Audubon Society and the California State Parks Foundation. His father was an avid Bob Dylan fan who followed the musician across the country like a groupie. At just 12 years old, Golliver saw Michael Jordan play live, an experience he still calls the coolest moment of his life. During the 2020 pandemic season, he spent 93 consecutive days locked inside the NBA Bubble in Orlando to document the league's fight to save the season. This immersive reporting led to his book, Bubbleball: Inside The NBA's Fight To Save A Season. He has also covered 15 straight NBA Finals since beginning his career as an NBA writer in 2007.[edit]

Golliver's father, Roger Golliver, attended Michigan State University at the same time as Magic Johnson, and he was a Bob Dylan fan who followed Dylan on tour. Ben has three siblings. No public information is available about his mother. Golliver currently lives in Los Angeles, California. He does not publicly share details about a spouse or children. [edit]

Golliver's father Roger attended Michigan State with Magic Johnson. He profiled Caitlin Clark, whose story was included in The Year's Best Sports Writing 2024. His first blog advocated for the Trail Blazers to draft Kevin Durant. He has covered LeBron James extensively, including tweeting about LeBron calling his mother after winning the 2020 title. [edit]

No public information exists about Ben Golliver's dating history, relationships, or marital status. His personal website, social media, and professional biographies do not mention any romantic partners. As of 2026, his relationship status is unknown. [edit]

Per iFANN's editorial analysis, Ben Golliver's net worth stands at $2 Million as of 2026. This figure reflects his primary earnings from a multi-year deal signed with ESPN in May 2026, where he serves as a national senior writer. Additional revenue streams include book royalties generated by his memoir, Bubbleball, and compensation from previous tenures at major outlets such as The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, and CBSSports.com. He further supplements his income through podcast co-hosting roles and his personal Substack newsletter. Exact financial terms regarding his contracts remain undisclosed to the public.[edit]

In 2024, Golliver was recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors for his short feature on the Alabama men's basketball team. His profile of Caitlin Clark was included in The Year's Best Sports Writing 2024 anthology. [edit]