Tag: Monica McNutt

Here’s every ESPN NBA announcer for the 2024-25 season

ESPN’s NBA crew features some familiar names.

ESPN is broadcasting NBA games for a 23rd consecutive year this season, and the announcers set to rotate between games will be familiar to many fans, with the team of Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Cassidy Hubbarth getting joined by Richard Jefferson (at least to start the season). JJ Redick is off the top team given that he’s coaching the Lakers now.

Although we wish we could list the announcers for every game, that’s impossible, especially when there’s some mixing and matching throughout the season.

That said, here’s a look at ESPN’s entire lineup of broadcasters, including play-by-play announcers, analysts and sideline reporters.

Play-by-play

  • Mike Breen
  • Michael Grady
  • Mark Jones
  • Dave Pasch
  • Ryan Ruocco

Analysts

  • Cory Alexander
  • Jay Bilas
  • Hubie Brown
  • Doris Burke
  • Richard Jefferson
  • Tim Legler
  • Bob Myers
  • Stephanie White

Sideline reporters

  • Katie George
  • Angel Gray
  • Cassidy Hubbarth
  • Monica McNutt
  • Lisa Salters
  • Jorge Sedano

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1373]

Jon Stewart praising Monica McNutt for her basketball coverage during her Daily Show appearance was so wonderful

Jon Stewart praising Monica McNutt’s basketball commentary is so awesome to see.

During Monday night’s latest edition of The Daily Show, returned part-time host Jon Stewart gave WNBA commentator Monica McNutt her flowers after she deflected why she was appearing on the program to Caitlin Clark mania.

McNutt joked that the only reason that she was appearing on the beloved Comedy Central political comedy program was that the hype surrounding Clark has become such a national topic of conversation.

Stewart quickly pushed back on that notion and effusively praised McNutt for what she brings to the table as a basketball commentator.

This is incredibly heartwarming after all the drama that has unfolded over the last couple of weeks. Sometimes, it’s just great to see someone as talented and empathetic as McNutt have a positive moment like this.

“I have been loving what you do,” Stewart told McNutt on Monday. “You are such a good basketball analyst and announcer… your voice, your knowledge, your passion has cut through it for me.”

You can watch the moment at around the 7-minute mark.

The whole segment is worth your time, as McNutt does such a fantastic job of breaking down how the Clark dynamic has played out in the WNBA so far.

Amid all the pointless noise, seeing moments like this is just so refreshing. McNutt deserves all the praise in the world for how she’s handled her commentary on Clark and the league, and we’re glad Stewart gave her some kudos in such a kind, meaningful way.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=421393215]

Monica McNutt gave a brilliant assessment of Caitlin Clark and the WNBA on The Daily Show

Monica McNutt continues to be a leading voice of reason when it comes to Caitlin Clark and the WNBA.

Former WNBA star-turned-commentator Monica McNutt delivered the perfect summation of the controversy surrounding Caitlin Clark’s arrival to the league on The Daily Show this week.

McNutt joined returned part-time host Jon Stewart to discuss the fervor surrounding Clark’s WNBA debut, particularly McNutt’s appearance on ESPN’s First Take that went viral where she questioned the program’s commitment to covering women’s basketball in the past.

As Stewart inquired about the whole situation, McNutt did an excellent job of tying the entire Clark discourse with a bow while still highlighting the need for the conversation to continue to span past just one player.

“While Caitlin is fantastic and I think she’s going to have an incredible career in the WNBA, there were women who were worthy of coverage prior to her, and I will not be silenced when it comes to that,” McNutt told Stewart about her approach to covering the league since Clark’s debut.

The distillation is this: Clark has done absolutely nothing to spark any of the discourse surrounding her arrival. She’s saying the right things, doing the best she can on the court and paving a promising future for herself and the Indiana Fever.

Outside of one avoidable hard foul that really wasn’t that big of a deal, the rest of the WNBA is treating her like they would a generational talent. The highly qualified women who cover the league are voicing the strongest opinions on the subject, too. It’s just the rest of the uninformed noise that makes it so occasionally intolerable.

We’d do well to keep listening to people like McNutt and judging Clark and the rest of the WNBA’s talented veterans fairly for what they do in games.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=421393215]

Monica McNutt is exactly right: Caitlin Clark and the WNBA can have multiple truths

This is so spot on.

Monica McNutt grabbed headlines (before Pat McAfee took them right away) on Monday when she left Stephen A. Smith mostly speechless, criticizing the ESPN personality for newly covering women’s hoops when he could have used his platform to do it years ago.

Smith fired back on Monday, but McNutt got a chance to talk more about what she was saying on First Take with an appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Nightcap podcast. What she focused on was what she was trying to say about Caitlin Clark and the WNBA, and she’s 100 percent correct about it.

“What I was frustrated by in our conversation earlier is we can hold more one than truth, y’all,” she said. “The idea of some players being jealous, yes, that probably exists. But I think since Caitlin made her debut, there’s been a large and loud … push that is Caitlin versus the [WNBA]. And that is unfair.”

McNutt went on to point out many NBA players had rough rookie years, and that’s what Clark has to deal with, too, and that’s fair and OK! Other players shouldn’t just let her waltz down the lane and score buckets with ease in gratitude for the growth she’s helping — with others! — bring to the league.

And both those things can be true. It’s just that simple. Well said, Monica.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=421393215]

Stephen A. Smith fired back at Monica McNutt’s claim that First Take hasn’t covered the WNBA enough

Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back while defending himself against Monica McNutt.

ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back while defending himself against his network colleague Monica McNutt.

Earlier on Monday, McNutt challenged Smith over his perceived historic lack of covering the WNBA while discussing the Chennedy Carter hard foul on Caitlin Clark. The moment went viral for how particularly passionate McNutt’s pushback on Smith and how taken aback he was by it.

Well, Smith didn’t wait too long to respond to McNutt’s comments at around the 21-minute mark of his personal podcast.

It’s safe to say that he was not thrilled in the slightest by McNutt’s assertions that his long-running sports debate show First Take hasn’t historically given focus to the WNBA.

“I have sat back for years and taken a lot of [expletive] from people, some who don’t know what the hell they’re talking about, some who act like they don’t know just because they want to get at me,” Smith said on the show.

“I could care less about people getting at me; I just want you to be accurate. And it is highly offensive to me when somebody implies or flat-out states like Monica McNutt did this morning, which was factually incorrect.”

While he said he loves McNutt and still supports her, Smith also challenged the audience to look for a program on television that covers the WNBA quite like First Take does and says McNutt’s assertion about his show was “blatantly false.” You can see his full reply in the episode.

Some NSFW language to follow.

Smith’s laser-focused response to McNutt feels pretty personal, as he’s clearly not happy he’s being challenged for being representational with how First Take covers sports.

We’re not exactly sure who’s more correct here, but we do know that both sides feel very strongly about their perspectives.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=421393215]

Monica McNutt leaves Stephen A. Smith speechless with real talk about First Take’s WNBA coverage

Monica McNutt really nailed Stephen A. Smith here.

WHEW. This escalated quickly.

Monica McNutt was on Monday’s First Take to talk about the Chennedy Carter cheap shot on Caitlin Clark and made some fantastic points overall, including this: “We’re still talking about competition, where you are allowed to get a little extra elbow in if you are competing and you do it in the parameters of the game. The game is physical, Caitlin is helping to grow the league, these women understand that, but she cannot be babied as a rookie!”

Well said! Both things can be true!

But then Stephen A. Smith asked who talks more about women’s sports than First Take. And McNutt responded — in the context of fans who are just following the W starting this season — with this: “Respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to.”

Smith was left mostly speechless:

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=421393215]

 

 

Monica McNutt’s rollercoaster of emotions while calling the Knicks’ comeback vs. 76ers was so amazing

Knicks analyst Monica McNutt is SO good at this.

Knicks analyst Monica McNutt had a difficult job during New York’s comeback victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.

While on the radio call for ESPN NY 98.7, she had to stay composed while her play-by-play broadcasting partner summarized the chaos at the end of the game. This resulted in an all-timer of a call on the TV broadcast from Mike Breen.

As the Philadelphia announcers prematurely called it a win for the 76ers, those in the radio booth for New York waited patiently until the finish line. This wasn’t easy, but fans fortunately got a sneak behind the curtain about what it looked like for McNutt to watch the final stretch unfold.

McNutt silently surveyed and studied the game as the clock inched closer to its final buzzer.

While no one was able to hear her during these moments, all the while, her facial expressions indicated she was still experiencing the roller-coaster of a finish that all the fans did as well. She is feeling all the feelings.

After waiting a beat during New York’s marvelous comeback, McNutt was then somehow able to find herself perfectly composed as she provided some excellent color commentary describing what just happened.

“This is unreal. You talk about a team that refuses to quit and has been saying since the last dozen games of the regular season as loudly and proudly as anyone will listen: ‘We will find a way.’ Jalen Brunson has had a flat-out terrible basketball game but knocks down a three to make it a one possession ballgame. The scramble, the rebound, and Donte DiVincenzo — who set a new Knick high in 3-pointers made adds one more in this postseason. Oh my God.”

She did not hold back about how crazy the finish was for the Knicks but still managed to sound far more reasonable with her reaction than most could ever imagine.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1373]