Bucks hire Lisa Byington as first female play-by-play announcer for major U.S. men's sports team
The Milwaukee Bucks announced on Wednesday that they have hired Lisa Byington as the play-by-play announcer for their TV broadcasts on Bally Sports Wisconsin.
Per the Bucks, Byington becomes the first full-time female play-by-play announcer for a major American men's sports team.
A basketball and soccer player at Northwestern, Byington has worked as a reporter and announcer for multiple major sports broadcasts, including Fox Sports, ESPN, CBS, Turner Sports and the Big Ten and SEC Networks. She has primarily worked for Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network over the last decade.
She's broken barriers before. Per the Bucks, she was the first female play-by-play announcer for a Big Ten Network football broadcast in 2017. In March, she was the first female play-by-play announcer calling men's NCAA tournament games for CBS and Turner Sports.
“I’m absolutely thrilled for this opportunity, and the ability to work with a first-class franchise and a championship organization like the Milwaukee Bucks,” Byington said in a statement. ... "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.
"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.”
Byington will work alongside analyst and former Bucks All-Star Marques Johnson, sideline reporter Zora Stephenson and analyst Steve Novak, who played for the Bucks during his 11-season NBA career.
