NBC Sports California will feature Kings TV’s first women and non-binary broadcast team
Television viewers will notice some changes to the broadcast team when the Kings play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday at Golden 1 Center.
NBC Sports California will present Kings TV’s first women and nonbinary broadcast announcing and coverage team across all platforms, including pregame and postgame shows, the live-game telecast and social content. The broadcast will feature Krista Blunk, Kayte Hunter, Laura Britt and Layshia Clarendon, with Morgan Ragan taking over NBC Sports California’s Twitter account for the day.
“Each of these individuals are such valuable contributors to sports broadcasting and we are excited to bring them together to showcase their talent,” Kings President of Business Operations John Rinehart said in a news release. “It is critically important to provide opportunities and pathways for more diverse voices to be included in the industry while also highlighting the incredible ones working in sports currently. As a father, I have seen firsthand the positive impact athletics can have on the next generation and it is my hope that all young people see themselves as having a place in sports.”
Blunk, the former television voice of the Sacramento Monarchs, will provide play-by-play alongside Hunter, a current Kings TV analyst and former WNBA player. Blunk currently is a play-by-play announcer for the Pac-12 Network, analyst and reporter for Westwood One and freelance broadcaster who has worked with ESPN.
Hunter is in her 11th season with the Kings as the team’s TV analyst and sideline reporter. She spent six seasons in the WNBA and later worked as a color analyst for the Phoenix Mercury and ESPN’s coverage of women’s college basketball.
Britt hosts coverage of the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball and the NHL on NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California. She regularly hosts pregame and postgame shows covering the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Athletics.
Clarendon, who came out of Cal as the No. 9 pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, is an eight-year WNBA veteran and former All-Star who currently plays for the New York Liberty. Clarendon identifies as trans and gender non-conforming or non-binary, using she/her/they/them/he/his pronouns interchangeably.
Ragan, a former Granite Bay High School and Sierra College basketball standout, has more than 10 years of experience in television and radio, including work with Sports 1140 KHTK and Good Day Sacramento. She currently hosts The Deuce & Mo Podcast and calls games for the Stockton Kings as one of the G League’s few female color analysts.
Pregame coverage will also include Sophia Jones, the daughter of Kings play-by-play announcer Mark Jones. Sophia Jones is a radio, television and film major at San Jose State and a freshman guard on the school’s basketball team who holds the career scoring record at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Florida.
“We are incredibly proud to partner with the Kings to highlight the unique talent, expertise and passion that each of these professionals embody, and excited for the engaging coverage they’ll create for Kings fans and basketball fans throughout the region,” said Devon Fox, senior director of live events and special projects at NBC Sports California. “Advancing new and diverse perspectives is key to serving sports fans great content and in promoting opportunity and inclusivity in sports media and beyond.”
This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
