Lisa Byington Makes History As Bucks New Play-By-Play Announcer
Byington is the first woman to become the full time play-by-play announcer.
Lisa Byington. Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Milwaukee Bucks announced their new play-by-play announcer Wednesday, following the retirement of longtime Bucks broadcaster Jim Paschke.
Beginning next season, Lisa Byington will call games for Bally Sports Wisconsin. According to the Bucks, she’ll become the “first female full-time TV play-by-play announcer for a major men’s professional sports team.”
Byington said she understands the “groundbreaking nature” of her new role, and it’s time for hires like this to become the norm, she added.
“While we appreciate the significance of selecting Lisa, and we celebrate this historic moment, Lisa earned this position based on her extraordinary skills and experience,” Bucks President Peter Feigin said in a news release. “We look forward to Lisa becoming the voice of the Bucks.”
Byington was a play-by-play announcer for CBS and Turner Sports during the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. She called soccer matches for NBC during the Tokyo Olympics and for FOX during the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Familiar faces, including Marques Johnson, Steve Novak and Zora Stephenson, will return to Bucks broadcasts next season, when the team aims to defend its NBA title.
The Bucks will open their preseason Oct. 5. They host the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 19 to tip off the regular season.
Milwaukee Bucks Make History With New Play-By-Play Announcer was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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Byington won’t be the “first female full-time TV play-by-play announcer for a major men’s professional sports team”. Suzyn Waldman did TV play-by-play for the NY Yankees in the mid-1990s. She gave up that role when she was diagnosed with cancer. Since 2005 she has done color commentary for Yankee radio broadcasts.