ESPN has announced its coverage plans for the 30th anniversary of the WNBA\u2019s inaugural game as the New York Liberty visit the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, June 21, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, the ESPN App, Disney+ and ESPN Deportes.<\/p>\n
The anniversary matchup will also serve as the debut of Women\u2019s Sports Sundays Presented by TJ Maxx, ESPN\u2019s new weekly summer programming franchise focused on women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n
Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Angel Gray will call the matchup from Los Angeles. Lobo played in the WNBA\u2019s inaugural game on June 21, 1997, when the Liberty and Sparks met in the league\u2019s first contest. Throughout the game, WNBA legends will join the broadcast to discuss the league\u2019s first game.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we mark the 30th anniversary of the WNBA\u2019s inaugural game, we\u2019re honored to reflect on the players, coaches and pioneers who helped build the league while showcasing the stars shaping its future throughout the season,\u201d said Tim Corrigan, ESPN Senior Vice President, Sports Production. \u201cThe debut of the Women\u2019s Sports Sundays franchise provides the perfect stage to honor the WNBA\u2019s legacy and continued momentum. Having Rebecca and Hannah, both part of that historic first game and featured throughout our coverage, makes the occasion even more meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leading into the game, WNBA Countdown Presented by Google Pixel airs at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN with Hannah Storm hosting alongside analysts Chiney Ogwumike and Monica McNutt. Storm served as play-by-play commentator for the WNBA\u2019s inaugural game in 1997.<\/p>\n
The pregame show will feature a conversation between Lobo, Lisa Leslie and Storm on the WNBA\u2019s first game, the league\u2019s growth over the past three decades, and moments that helped shape women\u2019s professional basketball.<\/p>\n
ESPN Social will support the Women\u2019s Sports Sundays franchise with content captured by social producers on site, work with ESPN talent, and content partnerships with the featured leagues and teams.<\/p>\n
Coverage will be supported by ESPN\u2019s espnW accounts, which focus on women\u2019s sports and culture across social media.<\/p>\n
Select Women\u2019s Sports Sundays will feature postgame editions of Chiney Today, streaming on the ESPN App, YouTube and major podcast platforms after the final buzzer. Ogwumike will react to the game, break down key moments, and highlight themes from Women\u2019s Sports Sundays, along with WNBA storylines and topics from across the week. The show will also include content from the game site, with guests and perspective around the matchup.<\/p>\n
ESPN has partnered with the WNBA since the league\u2019s inception in 1997. Over the past year, ESPN has expanded its women\u2019s sports programming with Vibe Check, Chiney Today and Women\u2019s Sports Now, along with live events, original content, studio programming and documentary storytelling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ESPN has announced its coverage plans for the 30th anniversary of the WNBA\u2019s inaugural game as the New…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":712343,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-712342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=712342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/712343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=712342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=712342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=712342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}