ESPN To Make History With Its First All-Black-Staffed NBA Production The game is part of the broadcaster's ongoing Black History Always initiative By Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 10:32 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
ESPN is set to make history tonight when the Atlanta Hawks and the San Antonio Spurs take to the court at 7 p.m. ET: it will be the broadcaster's first NBA game produced by an all-Black crew. The broadcast, part of ESPN's ongoing content commitment dubbed Black History Always, will feature dozens of Black staffers both on-air and behind the scenes.
The Black History Always initiative plays a crucial role in emphasizing the significance of representation and inclusion across every part of our organization, says Justin McIntosh, remote operations producer, ESPN. Personally, it will be a meaningful experience to stand alongside a dedicated team of individuals who share similar backgrounds and have faced many of the same challenges. This event and initiative represent the cultural progress within our company and, ideally, will solidify these efforts for the long term.
Tonight's game will be a 1080p SDR REMCO (remote control) production, according to McIntosh, with a majority of the crew, both production and operations, onsite in Atlanta. Graphics will be integrated remotely, and two EVS operators at ESPN's Bristol, CT, facility will control replay servers in the onsite production trucks.
Those trucks will be Game Creek Video Nitro A and B units. NEP Broadcasting-owned Bexel is providing fiber and fiber transport, RF reporter kit, RF coaches' microphones, lighting, and additional gear.
According to McIntosh, the production has 15 total transmission paths - 11 J2K fiber and four IP-MPEG encoded paths - for primary transport to Bristol. Additionally, ESPN will use seven JPEG feeds and CMSI file transfer for EVS/replay archiving.
Among the cameras deployed will be eight manned Sony HDC-2500's in hard and handheld configurations, one Sony HDC-4300 handheld in 6X super-slo-mo at midcourt, Fletcher Above the Rim robotic cameras at each basket, and multiple Marshall POVs.
In Atlanta, an estimated 60 people will be onsite. Supporting the production efforts from offsite, McIntosh says, will be a contingent of EVS operators, graphics operators, producers, communication support, and other broadcast personnel in Bristol and other locations.
Heading the production crew will be lead producer Paul Ervin, producer Rodney Vaughn, and director Adam Bryant. The on-air team for the game will comprise play-by-play announcer Mark Jones, analyst Richard Jefferson, and sideline reporter Lisa Salters.
Prior to the primetime broadcast, host Malika Andrews will lead an all-Black group on NBA Today, starting at 3 p.m. ET, and NBA Countdown. at 6:30 p.m. Located at ESPN's Los Angeles production center, he will be joined by analysts Chiney Ogwumike, Udonis Haslem, and Kendrick Perkins on both shows.
Having the opportunity to celebrate Black History for a national audience will always be important, especially to people of color in this industry, McIntosh says. I hope this game serves as a reflection of the incredible talent and diversity that drives every sports broadcast behind the scenes. Across the industry, there are so many skilled individuals who dedicate themselves to this demanding yet fulfilling career. For me, this game is a tribute to that dedication and a celebration of the diversity that unites the world of sports broadcasting. I'm honored to play a part in bringing that vision to life at ESPN.
Additionally, ESPN's Black-led media platform, Andscape, will publish several pieces on key figures in the sports-media industry as part of the Black History Always initiative, including an essay on Jones's broadcasting career.
Meanwhile, through a commitment to developing future sports business and media leaders from the Black community, the broadcaster is partnering with Clark Atlanta University to provide students in its mass-media program an opportunity to get a glimpse behind the scenes.
Vaughn, who is playing an integral role in the partnership with the school, expanded the scope of the students' tour and fine-tuned details to ensure the experience would be as enriching as possible, McIntosh says. The experience will include a tour of the production's mobile units, introductions to technical-department leaders, and conversations with ESPN's production team. Students will also have an opportunity to meet on-air talent and NBA executives.
Opening the door to the future generation of broadcast-sports professionals holds tremendous significance and is a responsibility that our team here in Atlanta approaches with great care and dedication, says McIntosh. The idea to incorporate a Clark Atlanta University student tour into the show emerged naturally through conversation. As these discussions evolved, so too did the importance of the concept.
We hope this opportunity inspires those who might one day find themselves in our roles.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
ESPN To Make History With Its First All-Black-Staffed NBA Production The game is part of the broadcaster's ongoing Black History Always initiative By Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor 
