NBA champ Bucks hire female TV announcer
Lisa Byington is making history as the Milwaukee Bucks’ new play-by-play voice on their telecasts.
The Bucks announced the hiring Wednesday and said Byington is the first woman to work as a fulltime television play-by-play announcer for any major men’s pro sports team.
Byington replaces Jim Paschke, who retired after 35 seasons as the team’s main TV play-by-play broadcaster.
“I understand the groundbreaking nature of this hire, and I appreciate the fact that during this process that aspect was addressed, but never made a primary focus,” Byington said in a statement released by the team. “In fact, I applaud the Bucks for taking the first steps toward making hires like this more of the norm in the NBA. Because it’s time.”
Earlier this year, Byington became the first female play-byplay broadcaster for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. She was a men’s and women’s soccer play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports in the 2021 Olympics and also did play-byplay for the Women’s World Cup on Fox in 2019.
The Bucks’ broadcast crew includes Marques Johnson and Steve Novak as analysts and Zora Stephenson as a sideline reporter. Last season, Stephenson became the first woman to work as a play-by-play announcer for the Bucks when she subbed once for Paschke.
Byington worked as a sideline reporter for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament on CBS and Turner Sports from 2017 through ’19. She also has been a play-by-play broadcaster on NBA and WNBA games.
Byington has broadcast games for FOX Sports, FS1, Big Ten Network, CBS, Turner Sports, Pac-12 Network, ESPN and the SEC Network in playby-play and reporter roles. She played basketball and soccer at Northwestern University.
⏩ The Memphis Grizzlies acquired guards Carsen Edwards and Kris Dunn from the Boston Celtics for forward Juancho Hernangomez. Memphis also can swap a 2026 second-round draft pick with Boston’s secondround pick that year.
⏩ The Grizzlies also waived center Marc Gasol days after acquiring his rights in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.
⏩ The Minnesota Timberwolves have filled out their roster by re-signing forward Jarred Vanderbilt and guard Jordan McLaughlin, both of whom were restricted free agents. Vanderbilt got a three-year, $18.3 million deal and McLaughlin a three-year deal worth about $6.5 million that comes with a team option for the third year.
⏩ Former New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale has joined his hometown Lakers as the lead assistant coach on Frank Vogel’s staff. The Lakers also hired John Lucas III as an assistant coach.
ELSEWHERE
Gold medalist wins surf league finals
Olympic gold medalist and defending champion Carissa Moore of Honolulu won her fifth world title and Gabriel Medina of Brazil claimed his third at the Rip Curl World Surf League Finals on Tuesday at Lower Trestles in Southern California.
It was the first time the WSL decided its world champions in a one-day, winner-take-all format involving the top five women’s and men’s surfers based on season points.
Moore was seeded directly into the final match, in which she beat Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb to defend her world title.
Medina, who ended the regular season with a huge points lead, beat third-seeded Filipe Toledo of Brazil in the men’s final. Toledo had eliminated Olympic gold medalist and defending world champion Italo Ferreira of Brazil, the second seed.
Moore and Medina each won $200,000 out of the identical $470,000 purses.
Australia’s Stephanie Gilmore lost the day’s first match, ending her shot at a record eighth women’s world title.
Colleges: Because of the challenges in holding a large indoor event during the pandemic, the Cal Athletics department has decided to postpone the ceremonies for its 2021 Hall of Fame class. The ceremonies were set for the weekend of Oct. 29-30.
Running backs Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett highlight the 10-person class. Cal said a decision on when to reschedule the ceremonies won’t happen until next year.
— Steve Kroner
College basketball: Chris Livingston, a 6-foot-6 wing and a five-star recruit from Akron, Ohio, committed to Kentucky. Last high school season, Livingston averaged 31.1 points, 15.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 4.7 steals and 4 blocked shots per game.
WNBA: Jonquel Jones had 18 points and 13 rebounds, DeWanna Bonner also scored 18 points and the league-leading Connecticut Sun beat the visiting New York Liberty 98-69 for their 13th straight victory.
Golf: Henrik Stenson still will have a role for Europe at the Ryder Cup despite failing to get on the team. The Swede was selected by European captain Padraig Harrington as the fifth and final vice captain for the event at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, Sept. 24-26. Stenson, 45, has played in five Ryder Cups, including the past three.
Drugs: Two months after American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was pulled from the Olympics for smoking marijuana, the World Anti Doping Agency has decided to review its stance on what it considers a prohibited substance. WADA also said the substance would remain on its Prohibited Substances list through 2022.
NHL: Tyler Bozak re-signed with the St. Louis Blues, inking a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum of $750,000.
Bozak, 35, was with the Blues in 2019 when they won their first Stanley Cup. He put up 13 points during that championship run.