
For DJ Hamilton, it all started with basketball. From playing the sport to reading books about the NBA to studying its players and coaches, DJ was enthralled by every aspect of the game from an early age. Determined to one day play basketball at the professional level, he would train day in and day out to improve his skills on the court and knowledge of the game. He was all in. It wasn't until his sophomore year of high school though—after suffering an ACL injury—that DJ decided to pivot. In his mind, maybe the dream of playing in the NBA was no longer the most viable option; but finding an avenue to remain close to the game and continue to highlight its beauty was. He was on a mission. Sure enough, by his junior year, DJ knew he wanted to be a communications media major. It was only up from there. Upon graduating from high school, DJ began his collegiate career at Rockland Community College before transferring to SUNY New Paltz and earning his bachelor's degree in Communications Media. It was there where he also launched his personal website and podcast show called "DJ's Sports Show." He hasn't looked back since. From covering the NCAA and NBA to interviewing professionals across the industry, DJ has established his brand as a journalist and content creator in sports. As he looks to the future, DJ is excited to continue building his personal platforms, sharing his love for the game with others, and inspiring rising sports professionals to be fearless in the pursuit of their dreams.

Let’s start with your journey early on! When did you discover your passion for communications and journalism?
All those years growing up playing basketball, obsessed with the game, playing against teams, and then playing in AAU. Once I tore my ACL in high school I was like, “Ok, the NBA might not be happening. I need a backup. I still want to do sports. What can I do in college where I can try to get a job in sports one day full-time?” I did research all my junior year of high school—that year I was out I made the most of it. I had excellent grades throughout my whole career in high school, but my junior year I really killed it. I was searching colleges like: “Ok, a communications degree…what can you do with this? What degree can be good for covering something in sports—whether it's journalism or on-air?” I started searching for schools that were good for communications media. I remember I said, “Ok, I want to be a communications media major.” During that time, I was in this ELA (English Language Arts) class with my junior year English teacher Mr. Baloga.

He is one of the greatest teachers I ever had. I wrote about it in my autobiography series I did last year on the different eras of my life—from the early years before high school to my high school years to my college years to the young adulthood years (which) I’m in now. I wrote about how I would write in class and get a good grade, but I didn't have a deep passion for it. But then, I had him as a teacher. He said, “You have a gift, man. You have a gift. I'm gonna keep your drafts and your samples here for future classes for years to come.” That gave me chills. I was like: “Man, he said I have a gift. I didn’t even know. I was just writing to write and do what we had to do in class.” (From there), he would always give me good pointers on how to improve my writing and things of that nature. I think that's where it started. It was a few years before the website came—it came five years later when I was a senior in college—, so if it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn't even want to create a website or do journalism.
How was that transition then from college into the world of sports journalism and media like for you?

Yeah! So I went to RCC (Rockland Community College) after high school to save money. Those two years I saved money and then I went to (SUNY) New Paltz right before the COVID shut down. I took a tour of the school and it was like a dream. I was like, “Wow! This is it. It’s an hour away from where I’m at. The (surrounding) area is nice. People are nice. The school is beautiful inside and out. The campus. Everything. This is where I want to be.” That day I committed. During my time at New Paltz, I did sports announcing. I was the sports announcer for the men's and women's basketball teams, and did radio at the school’s student radio station—that’s where I really got my reps. It was my first time being on the radio. Then, sports announcing helped me know how to deal with speaking in front of over 100 people. You know, calling the team fouls, player names, shots, all of that.

That’s awesome! Tell us more about that experience in the world of sports announcing.