In celebration of International Women’s Day and as part of the Dallas Mavericks Women’s Night at American Airlines Center, MavsTV brought the theme to screens far and wide, producing its first all-women broadcast.
The ensemble featured familiar faces Dana Larson and Lesley McCaslin, Dallas icon and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, and, making their MavsTV debuts, Raegan Pebley and Kylen Mills.
The all-women team offered their basketball and broadcasting expertise, providing viewers with a fresh perspective during a tough stretch for the short-handed Mavs.
ESPN also celebrated International Women’s Day with an all-female national broadcast of the Grizzlies-Mavericks matchup that extended to an entirely women-led production-control-room.
“Tonight’s about the Mavs, and the challenges that they’ve been through, and the chance to really support them and this organization,” said Pebley, a former WNBA player, seasoned broadcaster, longtime coach and current General Manager for the Los Angeles Sparks.
“And it’s also about really bringing together some incredible women in front of the camera, but also behind the camera,” she added. “There are so many people that have done a lot of work to get us to where we are today, so whatever we can do to create more opportunities for women in the future is great.”
Friday night’s broadcast transcended the play on the court, providing the on-screen talent a platform to represent women and inspire the next generation.
“Being in the play-by-play role on this game is something I wouldn’t have thought possible 10 years ago,” said Mills, an award-winning broadcaster with more than a decade of experience covering collegiate and professional sports. “I called basketball and sports in college, but there were no women doing it on networks at a professional level.
“It’s been really cool to see the trailblazers who went before me, like Lisa Byington or Kate Scott, who are two voices of NBA teams. Seeing them opened my eyes to the fact that this is an option, and if they can do it, I can do it, too. So, I hope the little girls out there know—and boys too— even if you don’t see someone like you in that position, it is possible, and I hope my being here will help shed light on the fact that women belong in this seat too.”
Mills filled the role for the longtime play-by-play voice of the Mavs, Mark Followill, who’s worked alongside Mills on a number of Big Ten Network assignments.
Followill’s night off wasn’t the only shuffle on tonight’s broadcast.
McCaslin left the sideline to sit behind the desk, anchoring the pre- and postgame show, Mavs CenterCourt, alongside Lieberman. And Larson mirrored those moves, sitting courtside at tonight’s game, acting as the secondary analyst.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Larson said before the broadcast. “These are some really talented women that have powered through in these male-dominated fields. To watch Kylen, she’s so multi-talented. Play-by-play is such a difficult skill. And then, of course, Raegan, she has played, she has coached, she’s now a general manager…It’s going to be so fun, and it just makes me proud to take a moment to celebrate all the achievements of women.”
This momentous occasion for MavsTV celebrated progress, representation, and the countless trailblazing women on the air and behind the scenes who took center stage tonight.
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