Tag: Cayleigh Griffin

Rockets to have new courtside TV reporter as Cayleigh Griffin exits

With Cayleigh Griffin moving on after three seasons, the Rockets will soon have a new courtside reporter for their television broadcasts on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.

With Cayleigh Griffin moving on after three seasons in Houston, the Rockets will soon have a new courtside reporter for their television game broadcasts on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.

Griffin had worked with the Rockets since the 2019-20 season, and she teamed on the broadcasts last season with play-by-play broadcaster Craig Ackerman and analyst Ryan Hollins.

In an announcement to her social media pages, Griffin wrote:

As the season approaches, I wanted to let you all know that my time in Houston is coming to an end. We often don’t share everything on social media, but it’s time for me to take a step that allows me to grow, both personally and professionally.

So, Houston, thank you. We have been through a journey — from contending, to COVID, and this rebuilding stage … we’ve seen it all, and I’ve loved every minute. There are truly too many people to thank, but here are a few.

Thank you to the Houston Astros organization for welcoming me in as I filled in on the field and desk, and to the fans who watched me grow in a sport I was not at first comfortable in. To my AT&T SportsNet family, you helped guide me and allowed me to grow. I’m so grateful for the many opportunities I’ve had.

And to the Rockets, there aren’t enough words. Front office, coaching staff, training staff, business operations, PR, and of course, the players — you welcomed me, allowed me inside your world and made me better. I am so immensely grateful for you. Finally, to the fans … thank you for welcoming this East Coast girl down here to Houston and into this family. I have so much love for you and this team, forever.

AT&T SportsNet Southwest’s game broadcasts for the 2022-23 NBA season will begin with the Rockets’ preseason opener on Sunday, Oct. 2, so the network would likely prefer to have Griffin’s replacement named by that date, if possible. Stay tuned!

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Podcast: Cayleigh Griffin on her Houston career and Rockets’ future

Rockets courtside reporter Cayleigh Griffin joins our podcast to discuss highlights from her career and the team’s 2021-22 season, along with priorities for the upcoming NBA draft and 2022-23.

Cayleigh Griffin, courtside reporter for AT&T SportsNet Southwest, joins The Lager Line podcast to reflect on her first three seasons covering the Houston Rockets for television game broadcasts.

Since joining the official television game crew in October 2019, Griffin has watched the Rockets evolve from a veteran title contender built around former MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook to the current rebuild, led by talented 20-year-old prospect Jalen Green.

Media topics discussed on the episode include how Griffin’s role has changed over the years; differences in working with veterans versus younger players; and reflections on her first year with Craig Ackerman and Ryan Hollins as the new television trio, as well as the importance of them making efforts to better connect with fans during the rebuild.

Basketball topics include highlights from Houston’s 2021-22 season; the growth shown by young players like Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, and Alperen Sengun; the importance of having veterans like Eric Gordon to help prospects develop; expectations for the upcoming draft; and goals for head coach Stephen Silas entering his third year with the Rockets.

Wednesday’s complete episode can be listened to below. Each episode of the show is also made available via flagship radio station SportsTalk 790, as well as to all major podcast distributors under “The Lager Line.”

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Matt Bullard not returning as television analyst for Rockets

Bullard spent nine seasons with the Rockets as an NBA player and began his broadcasting career with the franchise in the 2005-06 season.

In a year of dramatic change for the Houston Rockets as an organization, headlined by the departures of former superstar James Harden, general manager Daryl Morey, head coach Mike D’Antoni, and CEO Tad Brown, they can now add television analyst to that long list.

Former player and longtime TV analyst Matt Bullard will not return to his usual role, as first reported by Jackson Gatlin of the Locked on Rockets podcast. Bullard played nine of his 11 NBA seasons in Houston, primarily during the 1990s, and he began calling games as a team broadcaster in the 2005-06 season. Bullard was a reserve forward for the 1993-94 squad that became the first in franchise history to win the NBA title.

Bullard told Gatlin that he was not given a reason for the decision, and he did not ask. Among his comments, via Houston CBS affiliate KHOU:

They called me just a couple days ago and said that they were not going to be renewing my contract. It was a big surprise to me. I felt like the work that we did this year on AT&T SportsNet in the middle of a pandemic — calling games off of monitors, and not being able to travel and be with the team — I felt like the product that we put out this year was some of our best work.

I was looking forward to getting right back at it next season, but they called and said that they will not be renewing my contract. So I won’t be back on AT&T SportsNet next season.

As a broadcaster, Bullard was nominated for two individual Lone Star  EMMY Awards (2010 and 2015) and was part of the broadcast team that won the Lone Star EMMY Award for Live Production in 2013. Most recently, Bullard worked for AT&T SportsNet Southwest, which is the local television affiliate that now broadcasts most of the team’s games.

Veteran play-by-play broadcaster Bill Worrell, who worked with Bullard over the last 15 years, is also not returning to the booth. As part of a gradual retirement plan, Worrell had transitioned to home-only broadcasts over the last few seasons, with Craig Ackerman — the team’s longtime voice on radio broadcasts — taking over the road TV duties.

Since Worrell and Ackerman were only working half of the games, Bullard’s departure could feel the most significant to TV viewers. After all, he and courtside reporter Cayleigh Griffin (who joined prior to the 2019-20 season) were the only consistent voices on local broadcasts.

The Rockets and AT&T SportsNet Southwest have yet to announce their broadcasters for the 2021-22 season, which is likely to begin in October. The timetable for announcements beyond Bullard is not yet clear.

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Interview: Cayleigh Griffin on her first season with the Rockets

Rockets courtside reporter Cayleigh Griffin joins the RocketsWire Extra podcast to discuss the highlights of her first year in Houston.

Cayleigh Griffin, courtside reporter for the Rockets on AT&T SportsNet Southwest broadcasts, joined the RocketsWire Extra podcast on Tuesday to break down her first season in Houston.

The network serves as Houston’s local TV partner for 70 NBA games in the regular season and through the first round of the postseason.

In her role, Griffin works with play-by-play broadaster Bill Worrell and analyst Matt Bullard on home broadcasts, and with play-by-play broadcaster Craig Ackerman and Bullard on road broadcasts.

Topics discussed on Tuesday’s podcast include Griffin’s insight on the team and its season to date; life in the era of social distancing; initiatives by her network to provide Rockets entertainment during the COVID-19 hiatus; and the unique enthusiasm she brings to her role.

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The episode also explores Griffin’s bond with Houston Astros field reporter Julia Morales, whom Griffin acknowledges as a key mentor.

Assuming Major League Baseball is able to start its 2020 season, Griffin will also take on occasional pregame and postgame hosting duties for Astros broadcasts (which largely occur during the NBA’s offseason).

Griffin came to AT&T SportsNet in Houston following stints at FOX Sports Southwest and FOX Sports Ohio, where she worked as reporter and host for both the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers.

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