For more than two decades, Chris Haynes has been one of the most highly regarded reporters in the NBA media landscape. The proud Fresno native has carved out a unique niche as the ultimate insider, a trusted voice for breaking news and blockbuster trades. His coverage of the league has provided basketball fans with a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the Association.

Throughout his career, Haynes has covered the NBA for Comcast SportsNet Northwest (now NBC Sports Northwest) and ESPN, where he served as the network's top correspondent covering the Golden State Warriors. Additionally, he served as Senior NBA Insider at Yahoo! Sports and Senior NBA Insider for TNT and Bleacher Report.

For his latest assignment, Haynes joined the BIG3 as a sideline reporter, bringing his signature expertise to the popular professional 3-on-3 basketball league.

Now a veteran reporter, Haynes’ path into the media world was not a traditional one. His journey is one of determination, grit, and relationship-building that has enabled him to create a trajectory all his own. Although he had a late start in the game, he’s made up for it with top-tier reporting and an unyielding commitment to excellence. 

“Coming from the west side of Fresno, the people I knew who graduated from college were in their late 20s and early 30s. I was transferring from schools before the transfer portal. I got married when I was 20 and my wife was 18. We had two daughters by the time I was 22, but I still had hoop dreams,” Haynes told BET.com. “I got a scholarship at Fresno State University, and I still had another year of eligibility. Through all of that, I ended up being the producer for the legendary Jerry Tarkanian’s radio show at the school. That's when I realized at 27 that I wanted to get into sports media.”

Working with Tarkanian and his iconic coaching colleagues exposed Haynes to a realm where he could still be in sports without being an athlete. As a producer, he provided opportunities for the up-and-coming sports reporter to speak with coaches and former NBA players, which would come in handy.

“Tarkanian’s radio show would have guests like Bobby Knight, Nolan Richardson, and Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski). The show started at 4, and he would give me his black book of phone numbers around 3:45 to get guests on the show,” Haynes laughed. “He would do this every week, and it was like they were catching up as old buddies. I listened to all these great stories and great battles they had, but it was hell for me to book guests for the show. They would cuss me out, but they did the show every time.”

After taking a writing course as a student, Haynes discovered that he could use his knack for storytelling and his vast knowledge of the game as a basketball writer. When he couldn’t find work as a PE teacher, he honed his writing skills by cold-pitching online publications and working for free. Eventually, he relocated to Portland when executives at Slam Magazine suggested his career would accelerate in an NBA city. For an entire year, he worked as a security guard by day and covered the Portland Trail Blazers games at night.

“When I was ready to graduate, I started putting the bug in my wife's ear,” Haynes recalled. “I said, ‘Babe. I know I'm graduating in a few months, and you've been with me the whole time. I think I may have something here as a writer.’ She was open, but she didn't know we had to move. I told her, ‘We have to be in an NBA market.’ She said, ‘We can go back to Sacramento.’ I didn’t want to go back.”

She suggested LA and the Bay Area, but at the time, those places were just too big for me. So I came up with Portland, which is a 12-hour drive, and a small market where I felt like I could do something,” he added. “Long story short, God blessed me, and it worked out.”

Years later, after establishing himself as an NBA reporter and insider with an impeccable resume, Haynes found himself at a crossroads when his employer, TNT. The network lost its NBA broadcasting rights and would no longer air live NBA games. Instead of immediately jumping to another network, Haynes bet on himself. He launched his podcast, Haynes Briefs, and shortly thereafter,  received an invitation to join the BIG3’s broadcast team.

“When I was doing sidelines for TNT, they lost the NBA rights. My contract was up last summer, and so I became a free agent. I didn't want to commit long-term to something else, so I chose to go the independent route,” he explained. “You have NBC/Peacock and Amazon covering the league next year, so I wanted to be available for opportunities if they came about. When the BIG3 called, I was already doing my independent thing.”

“I’ve covered the league since the beginning, and I’m very excited. It's a new platform and a new station for me. I've never been on CBS, so I'm very excited. I can be a bit more comfortable,” he continued. “I can unbutton my collar. Matter of fact, I might not even be wearing a collared shirt.”

Haynes also shared that he's glad to be working with Ice Cube, who’s one of his favorite artists. Along with interviewing the legendary rapper and filmmaker on several occasions, Haynes and Cube are at work on another project that he teased but was coy about disclosing the details.

“Cube was probably my favorite guest on my old podcast, Posted Up. The BIG3 has been around for almost a decade. A lot of people thought this was going to be a one-and-done league,” Haynes said. “So I appreciate the brother for going out on the limb, creating this league with Jeff Kwatinetz. I want to see my people win, and I want to be a part of helping the league grow. And there may be something else I'm doing with Cube that will be announced at a later date.”

“I love to cover the NBA. That's my bread and butter. But I’m looking forward to being on the broadcast team for the BIG3,” he continued.

As the league has expanded with location-based teams and several corporate sponsors, Haynes is thrilled to be part of the BIG3, and this season is poised to be the best yet. With intense basketball action on the court, Haynes noted that several spicy storylines are developing in the BIG3 that he and fans of the league should be watching this season. Tempers already flared on Saturday’s tip-off when Hall of Famer Dwight Howard and Lance Stephenson had an altercation that spilled into the stands.

“In May, I reported that Michael Beasley was very upset that his team drafted Lance Stevenson with the number one pick and requested a trade. The BIG3 declined his request, and he and Stevenson are going to have to work this thing out. Can those two coexist? That's the storyline that I find most intriguing in the BIG3,” Haynes said.

“You also have Dwight Howard, who is the most anticipated player to come into the league,” he continued. “The talent is getting better, and so many talented players didn't make the cut this season. That tells you about the talent pool that the BIG3 has assembled.”