The WNBA season is officially on, as owners and the players’ union reached a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement last month. That means the league’s television partners, including ESPN, Prime Video, and NBC, can now begin to solidify their broadcast rosters ahead of Opening Night on May 8.
According to Front Office Sports, NBC has hired LaChina Robinson and Sarah Kutosk, while the network announced the hire of Cheryl Miller as a studio analyst. Robinson, per FOS’s Ryan Glasspiegel, is expected to rotate as both a studio and game analyst, while Kustok will serve as a color commentator alongside a stable of play-by-play announcers that includes Michael Grady, Noah Eagle, and Zora Stephenson.
While the network hasn’t officially named its broadcast teams, the studio appears to be set. After hiring Sue Bird to join Maria Taylor in Stamford, Connecticut, last week, NBC has brought on Miller, one of the most decorated women’s basketball players of all time, who has previously worked as an analyst for NBC, TNT Sports, and ESPN/ABC.
“Cheryl Miller is synonymous with excellence in women’s basketball,” said NBC Sports senior vice president and WNBA coordinating producer Betsy Riley in a prepared statement. “Her impact on the game spans generations, and her ability to connect history, strategy, and today’s stars is unmatched. As we welcome the WNBA back to NBC Sports, Cheryl’s voice will be central to how we tell the story of this league and showcase the incredible level of play our viewers will see all season.”
Robinson frequently contributed as a WNBA and women’s basketball analyst for ESPN before announcing her departure earlier this week, writing that she “made the tough decision to leave ESPN after 16 years working for the network.” She has been with NBC Sports since 2021 as a seasonal host and basketball analyst, and in 2024, Robinson called the Paris Olympics alongside Eagle for the network.
Kustok, who was also announced as the lead color commentator for USA Sports, will serve in a similar role for NBC Sports, presumably, though it’s unknown if the network has its “lead” game analyst at the current moment. Kustok is a veteran of Brooklyn Nets coverage on YES Network, serving as the first-ever solo female analyst for an NBA team, while also contributing to Fox Sports’ NFL coverage as a sideline reporter, as well as CBS Sports’ We Need To Talk as a panelist.
It’s unclear whether NBC will make any other hires.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.