Genius Sports, NBA All-Star Chris Paul and Words + Pictures have announced the launch of a new athlete-led sports media company, a joint venture built around original programming hosted by Paul and other athletes and creators, powered by Genius Sports’ data and technology.

The company brings together Paul’s Ohh Dip!!! Entertainment and Connor Schell’s Words + Pictures, with Genius Sports serving as exclusive commercialization partner. Schell, whose credits include “The Last Dance” and ESPN’s “30 for 30,” will lead premium production and storytelling. The venture’s first slate of programming, hosted by Paul, is set to launch in Q4 2026, with additional athletes, creators and brand partners expected to follow.

Paul, a 12-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist, has used Genius Sports’ performance and analytics tools throughout his career. The new company will draw on Genius Sports’ GeniusIQ platform, which provides AI-powered tracking and data across leagues including the WNBA and English Premier League.

“The future of sports media belongs to the people who can bring fans closer to the game,” Paul said. “Athletes understand the details, decisions and moments that fans don’t always get to see. By partnering with Genius Sports, we can combine that perspective with incredible data and technology to educate fans and tell stories in entirely new ways.”

Genius Sports CEO Mark Locke said the venture is designed to give brands a new way into athlete-driven storytelling. “Fans increasingly want to hear directly from the athletes who know the game best,” Locke said. “Chris brings a unique perspective, tremendous relationships across sports, and a genuine curiosity about how technology can help tell better stories. By combining that with Genius Sports’ data, AI, technology and media reach, we have an opportunity to build a differentiated sports media company and a powerful new platform for brands.”

The venture positions itself to sell brands on sponsorship and integration opportunities tied to original athlete-led programming and recurring content franchises, with Genius Sports connecting partners to the programming and its broader media ecosystem.

The launch extends a broader shift toward athlete-driven content that leagues and marketers have been building on for months. The NBA embedded more than 200 creators across its All-Star Weekend in February, its largest creator integration for a single event, putting personalities like Dude Perfect and Jesser inside live broadcasts and fan experiences rather than treating them as outside amplifiers. 

Separately, athlete marketing platform OpenSponsorship reported in April that athletes on its platform average 10.97% engagement versus 4.92% for traditional influencers, attributing the gap to trust built through public competition rather than paid promotion. Paul’s venture applies that same premise at the level of a standalone media company rather than a single campaign or event, betting that an athlete’s perspective, backed by data infrastructure, can anchor programming and sponsorship on its own rather than serving as a guest feature inside someone else’s broadcast.

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