Lisa Byington makes history with Bucks, hired as a TV presenter for a game

In a Bucks press release, Byington acknowledged the story he is making, saying: “I understand the innovative nature of this recruitment and am grateful that during this process this aspect was addressed, but never focused primarily on. In fact, I applaud the Bucks for taking the first steps to make hiring like this more normal in the NBA. Because it’s time. “

In a tweet, Byington he wrote, “I am honored, humiliated and excited by this opportunity and to begin with.”

Byington replaces Bucks longtime pitcher Jim Paschke, who retired late last season after calling up team games for 35 years.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with this opportunity and the ability to work with a first-class franchise and organizing championships like the Milwaukee Bucks,” Byington said.

“My most sincere thanks and thanks to so many people, but in particular Bucks President Peter Feigin and Bally Sports Wisconsin Executive Producer Tony Tortorici for making this process such a smooth process from start to finish. I know I will be entering a role that Jim Paschke held for a long time, and I appreciate his passion for the team and the memorable moments that his voice will always be a part of, ”Byington said. “I would be disregarded if I didn’t recognize his work and his commitment to the franchise, and it’s an honor for me to be the one to take the baton. I’m particularly excited to work with such an amazing team of Mark Johnson, Zora Stephenson, Steve Novak and everyone who participates in the Bucks games at Bally Sports Wisconsin. “

In March, Byington was the first woman to play a game-by-game at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament when she worked in first-round games for Turner Sports and CBS. Turner Sports and CNN are owned by WarnerMedia. She recently worked for NBC Sports at the Tokyo Olympics as a broadcaster playing men’s and women’s soccer games. She also played match-by-match for the Women’s World Cup on FOX in 2019.

From 2017 to 2019, Byington made secondary reports for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament for Turner Sports and CBS. He also has experience playing games for NBA and WNBA games. He has broadcast games for FOX Sports, FS1, Big Ten Network, CBS, Turner Sports, Pac-12 Network, ESPN and SEC Network, both in player and reporter roles.

“We are very excited to welcome Lisa to the Bucks family and to bring to our broadcast team such a talented game-by-game announcer,” Feigin said in the statement. “Lisa’s extensive television career, including her high-level NCAA basketball game on several national networks, makes her the perfect choice to take on this important role. While we appreciate the importance of selecting “Lisa and we celebrate at this historic moment, Lisa won this position based on her extraordinary skills and experience. We hope Lisa becomes the voice of the Bucks.”

Tortorici said, “We are thrilled to have Lisa on the Bally Sports Wisconsin team. Through her work on college basketball and many other sports she has dealt with, Lisa is ready for this opportunity.”