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

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.”