NBC Sports Boston, Celtics, Connecticut Sun to celebrate Women's Empowerment Month with all-female broadcast
NBC Sports Boston, Celtics, Connecticut Sun to celebrate Women's Empowerment Month with all-female broadcast originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
In celebration of Women's Empowerment Month, NBC Sports Boston, the Boston Celtics and Connecticut Sun are teaming up for an all-female broadcast of the Celtics' March 18 matchup with the Detroit Pistons at TD Garden.
NBC Sports' Zora Stephenson will serve as the play-by-play voice for Celtics vs. Pistons, with NBC Sports Boston's Abby Chin and Connecticut Sun player DiJonai Carrington joining Stephenson as game analysts. ESPN's Kayla Burton will be the in-game reporter at TD Garden.
NBC Sports Boston's Amina Smith will host Celtics Pregame Live, Celtics Halftime Live and Celtics Postgame Live and alongside Connecticut Sun team president Jennifer Rizzotti and Boston Celtics scout and Maine Celtics assistant general manager Ashley Battle.
NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Pistons will begin at 7 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET, and Celtics Postgame Live will begin immediately after the game.
Get to know NBC Sports Boston's all-female broadcast team below:
Play-by-play: Zora Stephenson
Stephenson (@ZoraStephenson) serves as the play-by-play voice for Peacock’s exclusive slate of Big Ten Women’s Basketball and as a sideline reporter for NBC Sports’ coverage of Notre Dame Football and Big Ten Football. Previously, Stephenson served as a sideline and digital reporter for the Milwaukee Bucks on Bally Sports/Fox Wisconsin (2019-2023) and became the first woman to handle play-by-play for a Bucks game in April 2021.
Game analyst: Abby Chin
Chin (@tvabby) is NBC Sports Boston's Celtics sideline reporter, a role she has held for the better part of a decade since joining the broadcast in 2013. She also has served as the host of Celtics Pregame Live, Celtics Postgame Live and Celtics Post-Up and makes regular appearances on the Boston Celtics' View From the Rafters podcast as well as Chris Forsberg's Celtics Talk Podcast.
Game analyst: DiJonai Carrington
Carrington (@DijonaiVictoria) is a guard-forward for Connecticut Sun. She is entering her fourth season with the Sun after Connecticut selected her 20th overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft. Carrington appeared in 32 games for the Sun last season, averaging a career high 8.3 points per game. She played four years at Stanford and earned All-Pac 12 honors in 2019 before transferring to Baylor as a graduate student in 2020 and earning Big 12 Sixth Woman of the Year.
Game reporter: Kayla Burton
Burton (@Kay_Breezy22) joined ESPN in August 2023 as a college football sideline reporter after two years at NFL Media, where she served a multi-platform role across NFL Network, NFL.com and the NFL app. Prior to her time at NFL Network, Burton served as a sports/news anchor, reporter and content producer for Western Mass News. A Newton, Mass., native, Burton was a four-year standout on the Lehigh women's basketball team.
Studio host: Amina Smith
Smith (@aminajadeTV) hosts NBC Sports Boston's Celtics Pregame Live, Celtics Postgame Live, Celtics Post-Up, Patriots Pregame Live and Patriots Postgame Live in addition to several other linear shows. Prior to NBC Sports Boston, Smith worked at The Big Ten Network and WCIU in Chicago, BET Networks, and Stadium, where she spearheaded on-air coverage for College Football and the NBA.
Studio analyst: Jennifer Rizzotti
Rizzotti (@JenRizzotti) is the Connecticut Sun's team president, overseeing basketball and business operations. After a storied career at UConn from 1992 to 1996, Rizzotti played eight seasons of professional basketball that included two WNBA titles with the Houston Comets. She spent more than 20 seasons as a coach at the University of Hartford (1999 to 2016) and George Washington (2016 to 2021) and will be the head coach of Team USA's 3x3 women's basketball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
Studio analyst: Ashley Battle
Battle (@The_Battle_Zone) is a scout for the Boston Celtics and assistant general manager of the team's G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics. She played five seasons for at UConn from 2000 to 2005, winning three national championships (2002, 2003 and 2004) and earning Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2003. Battle enjoyed a six-year career in the WNBA with the Seattle Storm, New York Liberty and San Antonio Silver Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces). She also provides color commentary for the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty broadcasts.
