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In the upcoming WNBA season, the Atlanta Dream’s broadcast crew — comprised of LaChina Robinson, Tabitha Turner, Angel Gray and Autumn Johnson — will become the first all-Black, all-female broadcast crew in the franchise’s 14-year history. The crew will cover every home game for Atlanta, per a press release from the Dream.
This is an important step in the sports media landscape, as well as in the WNBA. Though around 70 to 80 percent of the league’s athletes are Black women, the media environment often fails to reflect the same diversity and demographics.
“As the Atlanta Dream experiences new beginnings we are extremely excited to announce our new broadcast team for the 2021 season,” said Renee Montgomery, Dream co-owner and vice president. “This broadcast team of all women is another positive step in our goal of providing empowerment to the diverse Atlanta community. It’s exciting knowing that moments such as these will create momentum, and we plan to keep that same level of energy moving forward.”
If you’ve watched the Atlanta Dream (or really any women’s basketball game) in the past decade, you’re probably familiar with LaChina Robinson, who will serve as the Dream’s color commentator. Robinson is perhaps the most prominent broadcaster in all of women’s basketball, and she will return to the booth after working as the Dream’s primary color analyst during the franchise’s first 11 seasons.
When Montgomery asked Robinson to return, she called the decision a “no-brainer.”
“There is a palpable energy around the WNBA and the city of Atlanta that is undeniable,” Robinson said. “I’m honored to be a part of what the Dream is building under new leadership in this historic 25th season of the league.”
Angel Gray will lead the team as the Dream’s play-by-play announcer and returns for her third season on the crew after working as the sideline reporter and color commentator in 2015 and 2016. She has covered the game at the professional and collegiate levels on both the women’s and men’s sides.
Tabitha Turner will join Robinson on color commentary after covering the Dream in 2017 and 2018. She brings a wide range of expertise from her broadcast career in basketball and lacrosse. Autumn Johnson, who has covered the NBA 2K League and women’s college basketball, rounds out the team as the broadcast analyst. She is one of the most accomplished young analysts in sports media and recently received the 2020 GameHERs ESPORTS Top Analyst of the Year award.
Bringing this team on board is the next step in the organization’s actionable commitment to equity and diversity. Players on the Dream already had a significant hand in flipping the United States Senate and have vocally supported social justice movements on and off the court.
