To honor Black History Month with their campaign “Black History Always” ESPN will feather their inaugural all-Black staffed NBA game The highly anticipated game will air on Wednesday, February 5, at 7 p.m. ET as the Atlanta Hawks host the San Antonio Spurs on the network.
According to the press release, ESPN’s coverage will be led by “an all-Black staff in all key positions, including production, operations, transmission, social media, graphics, stats, commentators, and more.”
During the broadcast, more than 40 Black ESPN employees will be working in front of and behind the camera.
Rodney Vaughn, a producer at ESPN, expressed his excitement about the game.
“I’m thrilled that this broadcast can inspire young people dreaming of a career in sports broadcasting while also bringing together so many talented industry professionals,” Vaughn said. “It feels like we are creating Black history in real-time.”
The broadcast team includes play-by-play announcer Mark Jones with analyst Richard Jefferson and sideline reporter Lisa Salters. Vaughn and Paul Ervin are producing the game.
ESPN’s NBA studio programming on February 5 will also be led by an all-Black team as Malika Andrews hosts both NBA Today (3-4 p.m. ET) and NBA Countdown (6:30-7 p.m.). NBA commentators and analysts include Chiney Ogwumike, Udonis Haslem, and Kendrick Perkins.
Demetrius Harris and Terrell Bouza will be producing the broadcast.
Along with the studio and broadcast coverage, Andscape will feature prominent figures which include an essay by Marc J. Spears highlighting the remarkable career of Mark Jones.
Michael Wilbon and William Rhoden, legends of sports journalism, will offer video essays.
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