Matt Barnes has interviewed presidents, Hall of Famers and some of the biggest personalities in sports and entertainment. But when pressed to name the greatest guest in history of his and co-host Stephen Jackson’s “All the Smoke” podcast, he didn’t need to reach very far into the archives. 

For the former Lakers’ forward, nobody tops Kobe Bryant.

“Heck of a question,” Barnes told the California Post exclusively before settling on his former Lakers teammate. “I would obviously have to say my brother, Kobe.”

Barnes and Jackson launched “All the Smoke” in 2019, turning the podcast into a destination for candid conversations with athletes and cultural icons.

But Bryant’s appearance remains sacred ground for Barnes because it became one of the Lakers legend’s final extended interviews before his death in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.

Barnes entered that conversation determined to get beyond the mythology surrounding Bryant.

“My goal going into that interview was to kind of humanize him and pull down the tough Mamba Mentality and show the world Kobe Bryant,” Barnes said. “I think we did a pretty good job of that.”

Years later, the guest list has only become more formidable. Barnes said he and Jackson recently sat down with former President Barack Obama in Chicago, another surreal milestone for a show built by two former NBA players willing to ask questions without sanding down the edges.

Still, Bryant occupies a different place.

“I’ve been blessed to be in this media space and interview the best of the best,” Barnes said. “I love it. Continuing to learn more about the people I admire and showing our audience the same thing.”

For Barnes, the best of the best is still the Black Mamba.

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