NBC Sports Boston Features All-Female Broadcast for Celtics vs. Nets Game During Women’s History Month
For a second consecutive year, NBC Sports Boston partnered with the Boston Celtics and the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun for an all-female game broadcast in recognition of Women’s History Month. According to USA TODAY’s Celtics Wire, it is only the second time ever that an all-female broadcasting crew has called a Celtics game.
During Tuesday night’s matchup against the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin called the play-by-play. Connecticut Sun guard Diamond DeShields and sportswriter and author Jackie MacMullan served as color analysts.
Kayla Burton hosted NBC Sports Boston’s studio programming, including “Celtics Pregame Live,” “Celtics Halftime Live,” and “Celtics Postgame Live.” Sun president Jen Rizzotti and Sun broadcast analyst, Celtics scout, and Maine Celtics assistant general manager Ashley Battle also served as the in-studio analysts.
Kevin Miller, vice president of content creation and strategy at NBC Sports Boston, told Celtics Wire that this effort was a way to celebrate Women’s History Month and partner with the Sun, New England’s only WNBA team. Miller also said Tuesday’s programming would help raise awareness for Shooting Touch, a longtime NBC Sports Boston partner that uses basketball to uplift women from Boston to Rwanda.
Speaking before Tuesday’s broadcast, Chin, who has been with the Celtics since 2013, told Celtics Wire that she knows what fans expect and was on board to deliver. Chin had filled in on Celtics radio broadcasts in the past, but Tuesday night’s game was her first time doing play-by-play for an NBC Sports Boston Celtics broadcast.
“The reality is I am a veteran broadcaster,” she said. “So while I’m not a traditional play-by-play, and I’m not calling every Xs and Os that will happen, I am really good at being able to kind of carry us in and out of breaks and be more of a point guard. We do have a three-woman booth, which I’m so excited to be able to work.”
