Campbell Harris

“And we back!”

This is a line that most basketball fans in my generation have become accustomed to hearing. Not because of Charles Barkley, Stephen A. Smith or Shaq but rather because of Kenny Beecham.

Originally known as KOT4Q – King of the Fourth Quarter – on YouTube, Beecham started his career of content creation humbly. He would film NBA2K “rebuilds,” where he would act as the general manager of a team and try to win a championship, as well as his own takes on current events in the NBA.

He resonated with me. He is from Chicago and therefore is a huge Chicago Bulls fan; I am also from Chicago and an avid Bulls fan. I used to binge watch his videos as a preteen, as that was the time in which I had realized how glorious and beautiful NBA basketball was.

While I grew up in a household surrounded by sports because my father worked as a sports radio host, it was hard for me to constantly pay attention to every game he wanted me to watch. I was also a bit rebellious as most preteens are. I would rather sit in my room and watch YouTube.

And more often than not, Kenny Beecham would be on my screen. I loved watching him rebuild NBA teams on NBA2K, but I really fell in love with how he talked about basketball. He was friendly, smart and incredibly relatable, as the Bulls were a ridiculously frustrating franchise.

Years later, for the 2025-26 NBA season, Beecham is working with the NBA on NBC. When I saw this announcement, I almost cried.

He helped me learn about basketball in deeper ways than seeing a ball going through a hoop. He helped me learn how much the front office matters. He helped me learn how much a player’s attitude matters. He helped me learn how narratives are built around games, how momentum can shift in a single quarter and how to read a team beyond the stat sheet – don’t worry Dad, you did too. 

Beecham didn’t just teach me about basketball. He taught our generation how to love it. Through his videos, we learned to appreciate the game’s nuances, the personalities behind the jerseys and the stories that make every play meaningful. 

Seeing him now get hired by NBC, I feel that same excitement I had as a kid, only bigger: I feel proud, inspired and grateful that someone who shaped how our generation watches and talks about basketball is finally taking the stage that he’s earned.