Candace Parker is first out LGBTQ analyst to call men’s March Madness game
Parker made the jump to the broadcast booth after working as a studio analyst for the men's March Madness tournament since 2019. The post Candace Parker is first out LGBTQ analyst to call men’s March Madness game appeared first on Outsports.
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Out WNBA and basketball legend Candace Parker has done it all when it comes to accomplishments on the hardcourt, building a legacy that has her on the short list of Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame finalists for 2026, but the end of her playing days hasn’t dampened her ability to make history in the game.
Parker made her debut in the broadcast booth for the NCAA men’s March Madness tournament on Friday, joining Tom McCarthy and Dan Bonner on the national broadcast of Texas Tech’s 91-71 win over Akron.
The moment made Parker the first out gay woman to ever call a men’s March Madness game and only the third woman to ever do so, joining Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Sky play-by-play announcer Lisa Byington and Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Debbie Antonelli.
Parker’s move to the booth comes after nearly a decade of spreading her basketball knowledge as a studio analyst for NBA, WNBA, college basketball and Unrivaled games for Turner Sports, CBS Sports, NBA TV and Amazon Prime.
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The two-time Olympic gold medalist has been a staple of Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ coverage of the men’s tournament since 2019.
Parker stands as the only woman scheduled to call men’s tournament games this year, the first time that multiple women haven’t been in the broadcast booth during the men’s tournament since 2021, the same year Byington and Antonelli broke the gender barrier.
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Making history in the booth isn’t new to Parker. The three-time WNBA champion became the first woman to ever call an NBA All-Star Game in 2023.
Parker will be on the call for the entire slate of first and second round games emanating from the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, FL on Friday and Sunday, including the University of Florida’s opening salvo against Prairie View A&M in the Gators’ quest to repeat as men’s national champions and a potential round of 32 clash between Texas Tech and Alabama.
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The post Candace Parker is first out LGBTQ analyst to call men’s March Madness game appeared first on Outsports.
