NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks Hire Lisa Byington As Full-Time Play-By-Play Announcer, Breaking Barrier

The National Basketball Assn. champion Milwaukee Bucks have a new voice as their play-by-play announcer. Also a new gender.

Veteran sportscaster Lisa Byington is the new lead announcer for Bucks television broadcasts on Bally Sports Wisconsin for the 2021-2022 season. She replaces longtime announcer Jim Paschke, who is retiring. Former Bucks All-Star forward Marques Johnson will continue as analyst

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Although other women have done one-off play-by-play for games (Andrea Kremer and Hannah Storm did a 2018 NFL game, and Jenny Cavnar did a Colorado Rockies baseball broadcast, among several examples), Byington is the first full-time female play-by-play announcer for a major men’s professional sports team.

“We are so excited to welcome Lisa to the Bucks family and to bring such a talented play-by-play announcer to our broadcast team,” said Bucks President Peter Feigin. “Lisa’s extensive television broadcasting background, including her play-by-play work for high-level NCAA basketball on several national networks, makes her the perfect choice to take on this major role.”

Byington has worked as as a play-by-play announcer, studio host, and reporter for CBS, Turner Sports, Fox, and the Big Ten Network during her broadcasting career.

Last spring, she was the first woman in the history of CBS and Turner Sports to do play-by-play for men’s NCAA Tournament games. Byington also does play-by-play work for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.

“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 release. “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.”

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