With ESPN preparing for the new NBA season, it’s making a ton of moves when it comes to locking up talent for their next media rights deal with the league. Included in those names is analyst and reporter Monica McNutt.
McNutt has gone viral this year for her WNBA analysis and perspective, specifically calling out Stephen A. Smith on First Take and appearing on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to talk about how the media was covering women’s basketball, specifically Caitlin Clark’s rookie season.
McNutt serves a myriad of roles at the network, analyzing the NBA and WNBA as a game analyst, appearing on several studio shows, and serving as a sideline reporter. And that will continue in her new multi-year deal.
ESPN also announced new contracts for Chiney Ogwumike as well as Tim Legler and Kendrick Perkins on Thursday.
Via ESPN:
Monica McNutt has also reached a multi-year extension with ESPN. McNutt continues to expand her role by appearing on NBA and WNBA live event and studio coverage. McNutt is a WNBA game analyst as well as a WNBA Countdown studio analyst. She makes regular appearances on Get Up, First Take, SportsCenter, Hoop Streams and WNBA game and studio coverage. She is also one of ESPN’s NBA sideline reporters.
In addition to her work with ESPN, McNutt is one of the busiest people covering basketball in the sports media as a radio analyst with the New York Knicks.
By announcing these extensions all at once, ESPN is making clear who will be integral pieces of their basketball coverage moving forward. With the network making an investment in both the men’s and women’s game at the pro and college level it makes total sense for someone as talented and versatile as Monica McNutt to be a significant part of the network’s plans for the present and the future.
[ESPN]