Top Female Reporters in the NBA

While the NBA is generally regarded as a male dominated league, there has been an influx of female stars throughout the league.  And while none of these individuals play in the game, they can be seen officiating on the court, assisting head coaches, and reporting from the sidelines.

That is why, below, we are going to discuss and review the top female reporters in the NBA.  These female reporters have made a name for themselves as some of the top reporters in the country, travelling alongside NBA teams and asking the hard-hitting questions before, during, and after the game.

What do NBA Reporters Do?

An NBA reporter is one of the most coveted positions.  As an NBA reporter, you will be tasked with covering specific NBA teams and players.   You will likely be asked to attend home and away games and report on the happenings, rumors, and box score for the game.

In addition, if you are an NBA reporter for a major broadcast network such as ESPN, TNT, ABC,  or NBA TV, then you may also be tasked with interviewing players and coaches before, during, and after the end of a game.  Similarly, these interviews will likely be broadcast to millions of viewers watching the game from the comfort of their home.

To become an NBA reporter, you will likely need to start at a local or regional newspaper or online publisher.  Typically, as a newer reporter, you will be tasked with covering local sports, eventually graduating to collegiate athletics before being invited to begin covering the professional league.

And similarly, to be an NBA reporter you will need to be well-versed in the history of the NBA, the current happenings within the league, and specific trade rumors occurring between teams.  In addition, you will need to be comfortable with NBA players and comfortable speaking in public.

How Much do NBA Reporters Make?

As with so many professions, the annual salary is highly dependent on both experience and the broadcast network or publisher for which you work for.  Working as an NBA reporter for a local newspaper or smaller publisher, you can expect an annual salary between $50,000 to $90,000.

However, if you work for a major broadcast network or publisher, you can expect your annual salary to increase considerably.  Major NBA reporters can make over $250,000 annually, not including bonuses and specific target incentives.

Why do Female Reporters Cover the NBA?

As mentioned above, the NBA is, generally, a male dominated league. However, especially in recent years, there has been an influx of female reporters, commentators, assistant coaches, and officiating staff.  And while there is yet to be a female head coach, it really is only a matter of time before one is chosen.

However, females have been integral in the league since its inception.  From officiating games to assisting with practice drills to helping NBA players better their shooting form and free throw percentages.  And with basketball being a globally loved sport, women have been attracted to the game from its beginnings.

As such, it is only natural that women would be attracted to roles which discuss and cover the happenings within the league.  These female reporters are often some of the most knowledgeable and fluent individuals in basketball and are able to accurately and properly convey the happenings on the court for casual and avid fans alike.

Best Female Reporters in the NBA

• Beth Mowins – Elizabeth Mowins is a play-by-play announcer and a sports journalist for big-name broadcasters such as ESPN, CBS, and Marquee Sports Network.  While she is typically found calling plays for women’s collegiate sports, she became just the second woman to call a nationally televised college football game for ESPN in 2005.  In 2017, she became the first woman to call a nationally televised NFL game and in 2021 she became the first woman to call play-by-play for an NBA on a network station.

• Stephanie Ready – Stephanie Ready is a broadcaster for NBA on TNT.  She was formerly a broadcaster for the Charlotte Hornets and was a basketball coach and the first female coach of a men’s professional league team.

• Lesley Visser – Lesley Visser is a sportscaster and both radio and television personality.  She is the first female NFL analyst on television and the only sportscaster to have covered the Final Four, the NBA Finals, the World Series, the Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Figure Skating Championships, and the U.S. Open.  Visser was voted as the number 1 female sportscaster of all-time and was elected to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association’s Hall of Fame in 2015.

• Katherine Nolan – Katherine Nolan is a sports television host and currently works on creating short-form content on NBC Sports.  Previously, she hosted a weekly podcast on ESPN titled Sports? With Katie Nolan. 

• Rachel Nichols – Rachel Nichols was a sports broadcaster for ESPN as well as a sports reporter and anchor.  She hosted a discussion surrounding the NBA titled, The Jump, which aired weekdays on ESPN and included news, stories, and analysis of the current happenings around the league.

• Malika Andrews – Malika Andrews is a sports journalist and reporter.  She currently hosts NBA Today on ESPN, whom she joined in 2018.  In addition, she debuted as the youngest sideline reporter for a broadcast during the 2020 NBA Bubble.  As ESPN’s only black female reporter, Andrews has broken ceilings and was named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in the sports industry in 2021.

• Sarah Kustok – Sarah Kustok is a reporter for the YES Network and Fox Sports.  In 2017, she became the first female full-time analyst for a local NBA team’s television broadcast when she was promoted by YES Network from a sideline analyst for Brooklyn Nets games.