Thursday, May 14, 2026
Sue Bird, Cheryl Miller, Zora Stephenson, Betsy Riley
THE MODERATOR: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining today’s call. There will be 8,660 days between NBC Sports’ last WNBA game in 2002, and its 2026 season debut this Sunday. Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream host A’ja Wilson and the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces on NBC and Peacock at 1:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Seattle Storm facing off against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Peacock at 6 p.m. ET.
Joining us on today’s call include NBC Sports coordinating producer Betsy Riley, studio analyst Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Sue Bird, and four-time WNBA champion, studio analyst, another Naismith basketball Hall-of-Famer, two-time NCAA champion, and former WNBA coach and GM, Cheryl Miller, and play-by-play voice for NBC Sports’ WNBA coverage who is also a courtside reporter right now during the NBA playoffs on NBC, Zora Stephenson.
We will begin today’s call with opening remarks from all of our speakers. Let’s start first with Betsy Riley.
BETSY RILEY: Thanks, and thanks to all of you for being here today. We’re looking forward to this weekend and the opportunity to welcome the WNBA back to NBA and Peacock.
30 years ago, David Stern and Val Ackerman were visionaries who saw and built the future of women’s basketball. Last summer I pulled those tapes and watched that first game, which was broadcast on NBC.
Back then as we welcomed our audience to that inaugural game, naturally we explained what this week was and intended to be. And as I think about this Sunday’s relaunch on NBC, the total take is a testament to what Val and David imagined. Today, this sports property needs no explanation. It stands on its own.
Looking back at that Liberty-Sparks game, Teresa Weatherspoon had said the night before the game we were all talking about how afraid we were. Not afraid to play the game, but we wanted to do well because it was televised. It was really here for us to be able to perform in America.
And perform they have. Since T-Spoon and so many others have made the product on the court the main attraction. And our production philosophy is pretty simple. We intend to keep the sport at the center of everything we do. Around that we’ll tell great stories about the characters and aspire to make the couch the very best seats in the house.
Our talent team, many whom you’ll hear from today, is comprised of trailblazers, GOATS, and individuals whose resumés are as long as CVS receipts.
But what I love most about this group is their passion for this league, and I couldn’t be happier to call them teammates.
So, with that I’ll pass it to Sue.
SUE BIRD: Thank you, Betsy. I’m super excited to be here. I think to echo what Betsy said, it’s just wonderful to be a part of this NBC team, to have the WNBA back on NBC. We all know the game is in such an amazing place. It’s continued to grow on the court. I mean, let’s be honest, it’s always been growing on the court, but now everything surrounding the game is growing at the same pace, and that includes the coverage.
I’m just really, like I said, excited that I can be a part of that ever-increasing growing coverage now here with NBC. And more than anything, I’m teaming up with some amazing people, and that’s where I pass it over to Cheryl Miller.
CHERYL MILLER: I appreciate that, Sue. And finally, I’ve got a great point guard now, right by my side. So just to follow up on what everyone has already stated, the obvious is that women’s basketball is in a great place. Just looking at the last week of games, we’ve had just about everything.
We’ve had Dallas going in there and winning big in Indy. We’ve had an overtime game with the Washington Mystics pulling it out in Toronto. We had a buzzer beater with Portland in the Fire, and Sarah Ashlee Barker getting the win against New York.
So we’ve had just about a little bit of everything, and there are so many wonderful storylines that are going to continue to grow and get better and better.
So now I’m going to pass it off to my colleague, Zora Stephenson.
ZORA STEPHENSON: My goodness. Thank you, Cheryl. It’s just an honor to even be included in this group, to be a part of this incredible WNBA on NBC team.
And this league is so personal to me. I am a direct reflection of the impact of the W, someone who grew up in the DMV era, going to Mystics games, watching Chamique Holdsclaw, and that evolved into Alana Beard, and you see what they’re doing, and all you want to do is go to your driveway.
Even if you don’t grow up to play in the W, right, there are so many jobs outside of that and it all is inspired what these women do on the court each and every day.
My job is simple: To put a caption on things and tell you a little bit more about your favorite player and throw as many lobs as possible to these Legends and Hall of Famers.
So honored to be a part of this team, and I think we’re going to open it up for questions now.
Q: I have a question for actually everyone in the group. One of the interesting discussion points this year when it comes to the WNBA is media coverage maturing and how much media coverage should be, you know, closer to other leagues versus advocacy, which I think for many years the WNBA coverage probably had maybe more advocacy than if you want to use journalism. So, I wanted to ask particularly Cheryl and Sue, just how you see the evolution of the coverage and how do you guys look at that when there’s sort of more critical coverage of the league now than there’s ever been before.
SUE BIRD: Yeah. It’s been interesting to kind of see or listen to the conversations surrounding the coverage. I’m a big believer, you know, just given my experience in the WNBA, that this is a league that is different from every other professional league that we’ve seen, and what’s never really worked for us is to try to be carbon copies of other leagues.
Now, that’s not to say there aren’t things that are similar things that we will do the same or that should be the same, but at the same time, I think it’s pretty appropriate and we’ve learned that it works for us to find our own path.
I think that the same goes for the way things are covered.
In the same exact breath, I think all of the players, all of us throughout the course of the existence, have wanted more critique. We understand that’s a part of sports. It’s a part of conversation. It’s what gets people excited.
I actually have no problem with GOAT conversations. Who’s your GOAT? Who’s my GOAT? Let’s talk about it. I think that’s a great thing. And in order to get people to have understanding and knowledge about those types of debates, they need to be covered and they need to be covered accurately.
So that’s kind of where I stand with it. I think it’s both, and it’s also an evolution. The popularity of the WNBA, I don’t know, I personally feel like in 20 years there’s going to be college courses taught on what happened to this league essentially overnight.
And so, there’s going to be some growing pains with that, and I think we’re just in that place right now. I actually think it’s what makes people like myself and Cheryl really special to this coverage, because we’ve lived it. We understand it. We can bring a different perspective to it, and I’m really proud in that way to be a part of it.
CHERYL MILLER: And just to follow up on what Sue says, 100 percent I agree with everything that she said, but the one thing I will say, if you don’t advocate for yourself, then who is?
And it was a long time overdue for the women to stand up and take a stand and fight for what they did, and the reward is here. Now the scrutiny does begin. Now that the money is there, now you gotta put up. You have to put up and show up and show out.
And so far, what I’ve seen has been fantastic. The one thing that I’ve really been trying to -- and it’s been great to listen to the various and different telecasts, that the commentators, everyone is on point.
And I have yet to really listen to some bad commentary where I’m like, wow, you know what, they’re missing this game or they’re not really hitting the facts. So far, so good. So I think we’re in the great place as far as promoting the game and holding it to a different standard and a higher standard.
Q: I wanted to ask about the WNBA’s 30th anniversary for Sue and for Cheryl. It’s not lost on me that this, I guess you could say debut back on NBC is in alignment with that 30th anniversary. I’m just curious about your thoughts around the growth of the league and how broadcast coverage has also transformed as the league has.
CHERYL MILLER: As I’ve just mentioned, just being able to bounce around from all the games just the first two weeks since the 8th have been fantastic. From the local telecast to the national telecast, and even in studios have been solid. So, the information is definitely there.
And 30 years ago, I’m still trying to wrap my head around 30 years ago I was jumping up on the scorer’s table thanking our fans for coming in and not only filling it up but just showing up and showing out.
And that’s where the X factor began for us.
So, to just see where the growth of the game is, where it began, and how many people really rolled up their sleeves and contributed to it has been really amazing.
SUE BIRD: Yeah. Well said, Cheryl. I don’t have much to add. I think I would just want to build on talking about studio shows, whether it’s a pregame show or a postgame show, but also all the other shoulder programming, and then you get into the world of podcast.
I’m not even talking about my own. I promise. Just the fact that there are so many people who are getting into this world and talking about it and having platforms and places to have these conversations. It’s so different.
I mean, that has been the biggest difference from year one to now. It’s just how many people, like even if I’m just walking down the street or I’m somewhere socially, like people are talking about the WNBA in a totally different way.
So, we really -- the narratives have changed around this sport, around this league, and it’s really wonderful to see.
CHERYL MILLER: And I appreciate that. Thank you. Credit the players for taking a stand number one, and number two, controlling their own narrative.
Q: Hi, everybody. This is another question that sort of continues along the historical line, and I think it’s for Sue and Cheryl first, but anybody else is welcome to answer. So much of the league’s fanbase is pretty young as it goes and maybe wasn’t even around in some of the cases 30 years ago. So, what does it mean to you that the league is making a point this year of showcasing the history and maybe doing some education along the way?
SUE BIRD: I guess I’ll go first this time. I think historical context is so important in order to understand what’s happening on the floor now.
Again, it comes back to storytelling. It comes back to storytelling being a big reason why these athletes, and hopefully all of us at NBC now, can help tell those stories, why and how these athletes are able to connect to their fanbases, are able to build that connection.
And that’s what drives sports. That’s what makes people want to tune in. That’s what makes people want to follow. It’s so important.
So, circle back, when you understand where the league has been, when you understand that Elena Delle Donne went 50-40-90, and then Napheesa Collier when she does it last year, you understand the full breadth of what it means to go 50-40-90 given that only one other player had done it before.
Without that it doesn’t give it like a true meaning. That’s where, again, the history and the storytelling is so important.
CHERYL MILLER: Sue, thank you for touching upon that, because I think -- and for me, being the elderly statesperson on our set, for a long time I don’t think women’s basketball has done a great job of really getting into their history and promoting their history, and so much of it was the run that, let’s say, for example USA Basketball.
Well, the first gold medal was in ’84. Who was on the ’84 team, and prior to that the 1976 team? And I think at times we did a real disservice to women’s basketball, but the WNBA has done an excellent job. That’s why I love all the 30 -- 30 years ago and all the players who are coming out who really were cornerstones and the foundational players to where the league is today. To be celebrated and honored and staffed in different Mount Rushmores and different commentaries and different opinions and who’s the best, who’s the GOATS, who’s this, who’s the kid that’s coming out the gate, who’s not on the page.
All these conversations are just great, and the various amount of platforms that are out there today is a great indicator of where women’s basketball is at and where the W is.
Q: Betsy, question for you. How are you guys trying to put your stamp on the WNBA coverage this year? One, kind of differentiate it, but also build on the return of the NBA this year on NBC and also that Sunday night property for those really big games? Obviously, that’s the biggest slot in all of TV. So, when you guys have Sunday games and Sunday afternoon games even, how are you trying to make that feel like a really big game?
BETSY RILEY: Yeah. Thank you for the question. I think where it makes sense for us to lean into and leverage either our NBA identity or our broader sports identity, like Sunday Night Basketball as you mentioned, we certainly will. And where it makes sense for us to deviate from that, we’re not afraid to deviate.
And I think a really good example of that might be something as simple as our graphics package. Foundationally our graphics package is the NBA graphics package. It was designed -- the intent when we designed it, when Chad Hudson and his team designed the graphics package was always that it would be used for professional basketball, the NBA and the WNBA.
And that package really puts the players and their faces, their images at the center. It celebrates the team, the team colors, the cities. So even if that’s the same wrapping paper that you see on the NBA, it feels totally different for the W, and so I think that’s something you’ll see a lot.
Sometimes there are through lines and there are things that are the same, but when you’re intent on leaning into these players and these teams, it just automatically has a different vibe and feels different.
Q: For sure. 100 percent. And kind of the same question on the studio side of things for game time and show time. What are some of the key sort of production strategies and goals that you’re heading into this season for on the studio side of things?
BETSY RILEY: We have Alexa Maremaa and Kelly Atkinson, a phenomenal leadership team at the helm of our studio plan. And one thing Alexa has talked a lot about is really wanting to create an environment in the show that’s a good hang.
I mean, listening to Cheryl and Sue right here, it’s a good hang to just toss back the ball with them. I think you’ll see what Alexa is striving to create, there is a spot for WNBA fans to come and to gather and to appreciate the sport, to have fun.
We intend to have this be a spot where everyone is welcome, so bring the hard-core fans, bring the casual fans. We want all of you to feel welcome around our table to watch a W game together with these incredible voices.
Q: Excellent. Thanks, Betsy. Thanks everybody for doing the call. One more question, if I could, for Sue and Cheryl. I’m here based in Toronto, and obviously they just won their first-ever game last night, second-ever game for the franchise. I wanted to get a sense from both of you what your just initial sort of thoughts are about Toronto as a WNBA city and how players might think about playing in another country that the WNBA is now in?
CHERYL MILLER: Well, first of all, they should be 2 and 0 because they had that game against Washington.
Q: Very true.
CHERYL MILLER: Exactly. Exactly. First of all, the fans are fantastic. The atmosphere is incredible. You certainly have one of the great coaches there to not only just lay down the blueprint, but she really -- I mean, she’s been a winner every -- Sandy Brondello has been a winner everywhere she’s gone.
Anyways, just talking about Toronto. And I like their roster. I think you got a lot of depth. Who doesn’t like Marina Mabrey? And the one player that I really do like is Maria Conde and your international flavor that you have on your team. These kids play hard. They play hard and they’re fearless, and they’re just going to continue to get better and better.
But it’s definitely one of the places that any player would want to play and just alone on the atmosphere.
SUE BIRD: Yeah. I mean, listen, right now there’s still a generation of players that -- to answer the specific part about going to another country, like that doesn’t faze these players so that’s kind of a non-issue.
If anything, I would argue, like how dope would it be -- like obviously I played for Seattle, so I’ve got the city of Seattle behind me all the time. How dope would it be to have a whole country, like a whole country behind you?
So that to me is really special. It differentiates the franchise, which is already off to I think a great start Cheryl brings up Sandy. You’ve got Teresa. You’ve got Monica. These are people that know this league.
Even though Teresa (Resch) is just getting into it, like knows Toronto basketball. The fanbase already proved itself with the exhibition games the last couple of years. It’s been waiting. And I think Kia Nurse’s interview, whenever that was, maybe a week ago where she talks about what it means not just for her and maybe other Canadian players that’ll get to play there, but like the youth.
Like she’s going to mean to some 10-year-old what Vince Carter means to her. And to be a part of that now, again, it’s a differentiator. So, I think what Toronto has going on is super, super special, and any player I think would give it a hard look for all those reasons.
Q: This one is for Sue. We have seen a lot of commentators, especially the ones who are former athletes, have their hands in a lot of different areas of the game, ownership. I know your role in USA basketball. I’m curious how you approach giving analysis and commentary, especially in a more mainstream capacity now given those other roles?
SUE BIRD: You mean the Grant Hill model, how I’m just kind of following in his steps?
Q: Yeah, ownership, USA Basketball, all the things you’re doing while also trying to provide straightforward commentary and trying to balance all those perspectives you have to hold.
SUE BIRD: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I think when you have different hats that you can wear at different times, the good news is it’s all women’s basketball. It’s all about me being a part of the game, me watching the game, me sharing my opinions of the game.
And to be honest, my North Star is really kind of similar in all the roles, which is -- especially obviously with this role, which is sharing my unique perspective given that I played for as long as I did. And that’s kind of -- that’s why I’m the managing director for USA Basketball.
To be honest, the ownership piece is kind of more like a passive -- I’m very much a quiet investor, if you will. Like I’m not in any day-to-day meetings. I’m not involved in free agency in that way. So that one I don’t really think about much.
But, yeah, it’s all about bringing my unique perspective. And talking about basketball is something I really enjoy to do, no matter what hat I have on. And my relationships with players is something that I really value, and I think it’s something that allows me to see the game, because I actually know what they might be thinking, and I can bring that to people sitting at home.
Q: This is for Sue and Cheryl. Officiating has been a big topic of conversation again early this season, and I know there’s a lot of work done in the offseason. I was wondering how you feel that the changes in officiating have gone, if we’re moving in the right direction. And also, for the production for Betsy, like how we’ve seen in college now there being more rules analysts for the women’s college game and things like that, how you’re planning on involving officiating and expertise there in the broadcast.
BETSY RILEY: Sure. I can start with your last question. You’re right, we have seen rules analysts populating screens in a lot of different sports, a lot of different areas. Currently we do not have a rules analyst on our staff for this property, and I think partly because there’s also pretty good transparency when the league is reviewing a play, when there’s challenge, we do think we have through the league and their process a direct line of communication to really pinpoint and understand what they are looking at.
And I think for us that’s really the most important thing, being able to help our audience along be and understand and appreciate the issue at stake. It’s not -- for us it’s important to be able to communicate that to the audience so they are as up to date and up to speed as possible in those moments.
We do not desire to be a show that’s pontificating on officiating. We want to call the game and help our audience understand the nuance and the context when plays are being reviewed.
SUE BIRD: Yeah. I think we’re in a little bit of a growing pain and an adjustment period. That’s why we’ve seen so many fouls. That’s why we’ve seen games go two and a half hours because of the stoppage.
What was kind of a more lenient, I guess, approach from the referees and kind of their rule book which allowed for more aggressiveness, allowed for more physicality, we’re seeing that overcorrect, and I think it just takes time for players to adjust.
Long-term, you just said it. I’ve talked about this publicly many, many times. I’ve always wanted to see more freedom of movement. I’ve always wanted to see not a less physical game, but just one that didn’t have so much physicality and didn’t really, you know, allow for that as much.
Is there probably a happy medium that we’ll all get to? Yeah. But you know how a lot of things in life you kind of have to over correct and then everyone kind of finds their balance within that. Right now, you have players, whether it’s their third year or their 13th year that have played a certain way in this league for a long time.
And now they have to think about it a little bit different. But they’ll adjust. They’ll adjust.
And that was always my point, whether I played USA Basketball, I played in Russia, or a played in the WNBA, all refed entirely different ways, and you adjust.
Q: Thanks a lot for doing this today. I appreciate it. I had a question for Betsy and maybe one for Cheryl after. Betsy, obviously NBC has picked up a lot of rights over the past couple years, NBA, Major League Baseball, but NBC does not have the NBA Finals, the World Series. NBC does have the WNBA Finals. And I was curious, one, how does having the Finals change your approach as compared to what they’re doing on the NBA and MLB? And two, because you are sharing the Finals with Versant, how consistent will your approach be, if at all, because they’re two separate companies, between the NBC broadcast and the Versant broadcast this year?
BETSY RILEY: Thanks for the question. Yeah, we love our portfolio. Oh my gosh, how exciting to watch it grow in recent years. It’s really been spectacular. I can -- I will say that I personally don’t really think in terms of what we have in our W package versus what we don’t have in other packages. But I think it’s incredibly exciting and motivating to have the opportunity to cover the Finals from the jump in year one. That is something we are very much looking forward to, and it is front of mind.
We will go into the season with the mindset of tinkering. We want to tinker and find sort of the best way to cover the game, the best way to present the W this season. And we intend to tinker all the way up until the fall and the Finals so that we’re getting it right for our audience.
So really excited about that, really highly motivated to deliver a great product to fans and then for your other question, could you ask that second part again?
Q: No problem. So obviously you’re sharing the Finals with Versant. My understanding is Versant will have the majority of games, including the potential games five, six, and seven. NBC would have games one and four. So obviously you’re talking about a seven-game series with who different broadcasts. I don’t think we’ve seen that in the championships since 1995 with the ABC and NBC on the World Series, so it’s a little different. With that approach in mind, just having to share a title series with another company in mind, how will you kind of work together to create a consistent look, sound, and feel across the broadcast?
BETSY RILEY: Yeah, it’s probably a little too early to say and reveal a blueprint. I will say we have talked to all of the W partners pretty extensively in the offseason. So of course we’ve talked to USA Sports. We’ve also talked to and become quite familiar with ESPN and CBS and ION and Prime Video.
So I would say it’s too early to say how things might look different game over game or how they might look similar, but what I can say is it’s been a real pleasure to get to know the other rights holders, and I think where it makes sense, we’re all keen to work together, and certainly I’m cheering them on. I want to see the sport continue to grow.
And as Cheryl and Sue have mentioned, it’s been phenomenal in this opening week to watch what the other rights holders are doing and to see the sport being celebrated on such a high-level night in and night out.
Q: Thanks. And I did have a quick question for Cheryl as well. Obviously, Cheryl, you worked 17 years for Turner Sports covering the NBA. I don’t believe the NBA -- or I don’t believe Turner had any WNBA in those days but correct me if I’m wrong if you worked any WNBA for them.
CHERYL MILLER: No, I didn’t.
Q: Yeah, exactly. This would probably, I would imagine, be your first time doing WNBA games then.
CHERYL MILLER: Correct.
Q: When you were doing the NBA for Turner you were occupying roles that obviously women in sports media were generally not doing. You were the solo analyst in Inside the NBA with Ernie Johnson on several nights. You were a game analyst working games with, you know, Jim Durham, Bob Neal, and obviously your primary role there was on the sidelines. But you were also doing roles that only recently have become commonplace for women to hold in sports media. Can you speak to whether you see yourself as a pioneer in women’s broadcasting for that reason? And also, just generally, getting back into TV after such a long time, what are your feelings about getting back into television?
CHERYL MILLER: Well, we’ll start with the first and foremost, I am not a pioneer. I’m one of many. I just have to look at someone like Ann Meyers Drysdale, who’s been doing it for decades and at a very high level, and she was one of the inspirations for me watching when I was growing up, and not only playing, but as soon as my career ended in basketball, transitioning into television.
Now, obviously it’s been a minute since I’ve been on television but just look at who we have in studio. Maria Taylor, and also, I’m going to be side by side with Sue Bird, who the only thing I don’t think, Sue, you haven’t coached yet. We’re trying to push you out into coaching. I don’t know if you want to get into.
SUE BIRD: No, no, no, no. I’m good. I’m good. I’m good.
CHERYL MILLER: There’s nothing Sue hasn’t done, so it’s like anything being on a team. You just make sure once the ball is passed to you that you take the open shot. If you need to make the extra pass, you make the extra pass and just stay in your lane.
The wonderful thing I’ve been blessed with is favor with coaches and favor with players. They still open up and want to talk and return phone calls, and as long as I keep my ear to the ground, I’m just an extension of their voice and what’s going on with them during the game, after the game, and before the game.
Q: Two things. First, for Betsy, I’m wondering if there was any possibility of Caitlin Clark continuing as a small role as a contributor like she did with the NBA. And Cheryl kind of piggybacking off that last question I’m wondering what it was like for you to do that tour. We saw you here in Indiana, but to go around, visit face to face with these teams, and if you had any impression about what this Fever looked like in the day of camp that you intended. Thank you.
CHERYL MILLER: First and foremost, I love what Indiana is doing, what they’ve done with their roster. And I love just the core, their basic core philosophy about who they are. They know who they are and they know -- they haven’t won a championship, but they know there’s a huge target on their back. And they’re approaching it, and they’ve gotten better with every game.
And they’re deep. They are deep. And if this team stays healthy, I love the way that Caitlin Clark played last night. I just think she just allowed the game to flow. And when she’s like that and everybody else is doing their role, they’re going to be a tough team. They’re going to be a handful down the stretch. But a lot of positives with the Fever right now.
But it was a blast being on -- I felt like I was on tour, you know. So, we had a great stop at not only in Indiana, but also with the Liberty and with Dallas and with Minnesota and with Vegas, the champs and everybody else couldn’t have been nicer. It was a great way to start my season.
BETSY RILEY: And, Scott, to your question about Caitlin Clark, it was awesome to have her contribute throughout the winter to our NBA coverage. And I would just say we’re really excited to watch her on the court this WNBA season.
And you might know this, but just sharing, Aliyah Boston also worked with us as a college basketball analyst. So certainly, we’ve enjoyed having some members from the Indiana roster working with us in the offseason and have loved watching them thus far on the court now that the season is underway.
Q: This question is for Sue and Cheryl. You both have your own versions of broadcasting, as someone mentioned. Where you interview players and have your own analyst and perspective as someone who played the game, and Cheryl you’ve been covering with TNT Sports for so many years and now transitioning over to the WNBA coverage. What were those moments and feelings going through your mind when you were given the opportunity to join NBC with their return back to covering WNBA. Any pressures that surrounded that or anything that you kind of were concerned about or where was some of your overall emotions going into this process?
CHERYL MILLER: Well, I’ll start off first because obviously like I said, it’s been a minute since I’ve been in the broadcasting booth, but I think if I had any reservations or any fears going into this job, they were all dispelled during the preseason.
And, actually, I made -- I told Betsy from the very beginning, put me -- I need to go to these camps. I need to see what the players -- I need them to see me. I need to see them. I need to interact with the coaches who I’ve known, coaches who I don’t, coaches that I’m very familiar with. And just see what they see and see if there’s anything that, you know, am I that far off and can I close the gap. And there’s some gaps. And look, the terminology is very different but it’s the same thing on the court. The ball is still round, and the floor is still flat. But it’s all good in that standpoint. So, I’m not as nervous.
Certainly, you always want to put your best foot forward and you want to be good at what you do and that’s going to come with time. And it’s going to be baby steps. At least for me. I’ll speak for myself. But I’m excited about this opportunity. And, again, I’m surrounded with great people and with great producers and directors. So, all I’ve got to do is, like I said, stay in my lane and I’ll be fine.
SUE BIRD: Yeah, I think for me, what was really a big selling point was, you know, outside of things I’ve already said, which is wanting to be a part of this coverage, wanting to just bring a former player’s kind of perspective, a big selling point was kind of what Betsy had talked about that Alexa had talked about earlier, which is the idea of a good hang. Right? That was a huge selling for me.
It’ll be all of us on TV, yes. And are we talking about the game? Yes. But we want to do it in a way where it’s as if you’re just chilling with us, all the viewers, they’re just with us, watching the game with us and listening to myself and Cheryl, of course, Maria, LaChina, everybody else, just talk about it. And that was like, oh, it kind of diffused this idea, because I’ve done a little bit of studio work in the past, and it just kind of diffused this idea that I had to be some broadcaster similar to maybe what we’ve seen in the past. And it’s like, no, we all just get to be ourselves, we all just get to talk basketball.
And I think to Cheryl’s point, we all know what it’s like to be on teams. I’m so excited to be on an actual team again. And what we all know is it takes time to build chemistry. Right? But when you have the same goal, when you’re all working toward that same goal and when you all understand what you have to bring what’s unique to you to make that team go and all of us have to do that, the chemistry comes, and it comes quick.
And I think we’re all going to be doing that a little bit on the fly as we go, but again, when your North Star is the same, it comes quick. And so, I’m looking forward to putting it all together.
Q: Thank you guys. Also, a follow-up question, if I may. I know it’s early in the season. I know we’re talking about MVP candidates, contenders. What are some bold predictions or if you have one top bold prediction for the season already based off what you’ve seen do you both have so far?
SUE BIRD: I don’t have a bold prediction by any means. I definitely think this is the Aces’ season. So, kind of like see if they can get another one. A’ja (Wilson), how do you argue her going for another MVP? Like it’s really difficult.
But I think in watching the games, Atlanta really stands out, and they don’t even have Bri Jones yet. I wouldn’t say it’s a bold prediction, but I got my eye on them for sure.
Q: Especially since this weekend NBC will be covering the game with the Aces versus Atlanta, ironically enough, what were you interested in seeing as far as, first of all, covering the NBC and also just watching the game and watching the matchups so early in the season?
SUE BIRD: Yeah. I think it’s going to be a test for both teams early in the year, which, you know, doesn’t have any meaning, but at the same time it is definitely a quick check, a quick check-in for both teams.
I mean, the only thing that really stands out is Vegas is a team that revolves around A’ja but likes to play small. They’ve been playing Chelsea at the 4 a lot.
And then you’ve got Atlanta, and one of their, I think, big strengths is their size, and I don’t just mean size in the lane, I mean size across the board. Like outside of their point guards, it’s a very tall team. So that’s just one thing that jumps out.
Q. Thank you guys. Betsy, just a quick question for you in terms of technology and cool kind of tech toys, anything you guys are going to be rolling out this year, cameras, those types of things that you’re excited about. And just double checking if there’s any exploration of doing any kind of on the bench or courtside live type features like we saw on the NBA coverage this year?
BETSY RILEY: Well, great question. I think, again, where it makes sense, we will explore some of those options. In particular, I have my eye on the bench, and we’re going to -- I’m going to kind of pull on something Cheryl said. We’re going to start one way and then we’re going to evolve as we go.
So, the way we start, the way we line up this week is probably, in some ways, pretty traditional, and I think partly our goal is to come out of the gates strong. You will see pristine pictures. We’re broadcasting in HDR with 5.1 audio. So, we’re excited. We’ve seen the results of that on other properties and know that the pristine video quality goes a long way.
Additionally, you’ll see us leaning into pretty heavy use of super slo-mo cameras and technology. We think that’s an awesome way to see this game when appropriate.
And then as I mentioned, and sort of using Cheryl’s line, that we’re going to kind of, I don’t know, Cheryl, what did you say? Crawl, walk, jog, run. But whatever that line was, we’re going to do the same thing. We’ll continue tinkering, we’ll continue evolving. We will layer in tech as we go.
So, I think the way we come on the air this week will be excellent, and it probably won’t be the way you see us on the air in August or September or October. And so, we’re excited to innovate and evolve as the season progresses.
THE MODERATOR: Excellent. Thanks, everybody. Have a great season. That will conclude today’s call. Thank you again for joining the media conference call ahead of NBC sports tip off to the WNBA season this Sunday, May 17th. Coverage begins with WNBA show time pregame show at 6 p.m. Eastern ahead of tip-off, along with halftime and postgame studio coverage featuring Sue and Cheryl, who were on today’s call. Thank you and have a great day.
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