Nneka Ogwumike, the WNBA MVP and champion, was chosen first overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA Draft. Nneka, a proud first-generation Nigerian American and resident of Texas, is a champion of equality, opportunity, women's emancipation, health and wellness. She is hailed as the ideal role model. She led the WNBA Players' Association (WNBPA) in successfully renegotiating a ground-breaking... read full bio
Eduardo Pérez, a retired Major League Baseball player and coach, joined the Sunday Night Baseball squad and made a comeback to ESPN as a Baseball Tonight commentator. Pérez, one of ESPN's most well-known baseball commentators, frequently contributes to the network's studio shows, live coverage of events, and MLB on ESPN Radio. He also serves as a World Series commentator for... read full bio
Steve Gelbs was a part of the Emmy Award-winning Mets broadcast crew for SNY, which also included Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling. Gelbs serves as the Mets Field Reporter in addition to hosting SNY's Jets Studio Programming, which includes the network's exclusive pre- and post-game shows for the duration of the Jets season. Gelbs began working for SNY as... read full bio
Over the course of his 13-year MLB career, Steve Cishek represented eight different organizations, including the Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels, Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox. Steve has a 2.98 ERA during his career in over 700 games pitched, making him one of the most recognizable relievers of the 2010s... read full bio
Gavin Lux is a professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers who also plays left field, shortstop and second base. He was selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the MLB Draft, and at the age of 21, he made his Major League debut. Lux has since made a name for himself as one of the best young... read full bio
A professional baseball catcher for the Chicago Cubs, Yan Gomes has shown to be a dependable catcher defensively and a valuable player at the plate since making his Major League debut. Gomes has won Silver Slugger and All-Star awards and is renowned for his powerful arm and ability to manage a game behind the plate. The first Brazilian-born player in MLB... read full bio
Tom Verducci is a studio and game commentator for MLB Network as well as an analyst and reporter for FOX Sports' coverage of Major League Baseball. Additionally, he writes about baseball as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, where he has twice been recognized as a nominee for a National Magazine Award. Verducci joined FOX Sports and covered the MLB postseason.... read full bio
All of MLB Network's programming, including the Emmy Award-winning main studio show MLB Tonight, features Jayson Stark, a writer and insider who has received several awards from the Hall of Fame. The J.G. Taylor Spink Award went to Stark for his "meritorious contributions to baseball writing." In addition to his employment with MLB Network, he serves as the presenter of Baseball Stories... read full bio
The only person to have won the NBA Dunk Contest three times is former NBA fan favorite Nate Robinson. Over the course of his 11-year career, he played for a variety of teams, most notably the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. The basketball and football player, who was born in Seattle, went to the University of Washington. The Phoenix... read full bio
For NBC Sports Chicago, Ruthie Polinsky works as a freelance host and reporter. She has received the Suncoast Regional Emmy for Outstanding Sports Talent and is a former Emmy Award-winning sportscaster. Polinsky covered the biggest sports news for the station and hosted weekday sportscasts at NBC6 Miami prior to taking on her present position. On Sunday nights, she co-hosted NBC... read full bio
Roddy Jones is an ESPN and ACC Network college football studio and in-game analyst. Jones was a recurring sideline reporter for ESPN's college football coverage throughout the seasons. After two years of covering ACC football for Raycom, Jones joined ESPN. Jones started for Georgia Tech for four seasons and led the team his senior year. As a quick slotback, he played a significant... read full bio
For a variety of boxing and mixed martial arts events, including PBC on Fox Sports, Showtime and Triller, Ray Flores serves as the play-by-play announcer and ring announcer. Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury, the greatest fight of his career that was broadcast globally on pay-per-view, was called by Flores. Flores, a Columbia College alumnus, has been a vocal advocate for several of... read full bio
Senior insider and college football reporter for ESPN, Pete Thamel is one of the most well-liked and regarded journalists in the business, covers college basketball and football for ESPN all year long. Thamel, a renowned news source and storyteller, writes for ESPN and ESPN+ and his multi-platform work includes guest appearances on studio shows including College GameDay, SportsCenter, College Football Live, Get Up and others.... read full bio
The Pittsburgh Steelers' Najee Harris is a running back who has made the Pro Bowl. Harris, his mother, and his five siblings moved around a lot when they were growing up. The family frequently slept in hotels, automobiles and shelters until they were able to find long-term home in Antioch, California. Just two blocks from his home, Harris sought safety at the... read full bio
The first podcast recorded and broadcast in a prison, Ear Hustle, debuted with first-person accounts of the everyday reality of life inside San Quentin State Prison in California. The podcast currently offers stories from both inside jail and from the outside, post-incarceration. It was co-founded by Bay Area artist Nigel Poor together with Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, both of... read full bio
Tony Finau has established himself as one of the finest and most adored golfers in the world by consistently ranking among the top 25 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. At the Mexico Open, he achieved his sixth PGA TOUR triumph of his career. Golf Digest ranked Tony as the #1 "Nice Guy" and once again put him on... read full bio
The head of recruiting for ESPN is Tom Luginbill, who offers in-depth evaluations of the best collegiate football prospects on ESPN.com as well as on-air evaluations for high school football recruiting and college football across all ESPN networks. Additionally, he frequently contributes as a field analyst to the college football broadcasts on ABC/ESPN. On the collegiate sports channels of SiriusXM,... read full bio
One of NBC Sports' most diverse announcers, Terry Gannon covers the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Olympic gymnastics and figure skating, as well as other significant competitions in those two sports and college basketball. Gannon, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir were chosen as the primary figure skating announcer team for NBC Sports Group following their critically lauded coverage of the Sochi Olympics. At... read full bio
Super Bowl winner Taylor Rapp plays safety for the Buffalo Bills. With the Los Angeles Rams, he enjoyed a strong start to his career and established himself as one of the league's best safeties. He hasn't missed a game and has started every game in his previous two seasons. Rapp had the perfect season, recording a career-high four interceptions and helping his team... read full bio
When Simone Manuel won the gold medal in Rio, the entire world fell in love with her. Since then, Simone has demonstrated that she has a personable demeanor and the tenacity and fortitude to give her all in the greatest situations. Simone became the unquestioned face of U.S. sprint after becoming the first African American woman to bring home two... read full bio
