Historic Hire: Bucks Hire First Female TV Play-By-Play Announcer

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The Milwaukee Bucks made a historic move by hiring the first female full-time TV play-by-play announcer for a major men's professional sports team.

According to a release from the Milwaukee Bucks, Lisa Byington is the new play-by-play announcer for games on Bally Sports Wisconsin.

"We are so excited to welcome Lisa to the Bucks family and to bring such a talented play-by-play announcer to our broadcast team," said Bucks and Fiserv Forum President Peter Feigin.

This is not the first time Byington will be making history. In March, she was the first female play-by-play voice to work in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, as she announced for CBS and Turner Sports. In 2017, she was the first female play-by-play voice for a college football game on the Big Ten Network.

In the news release Byington said:

“My sincerest appreciation and thanks go out to so many, but, in particular, Bucks President Peter Feigin and Bally Sports Wisconsin Executive Producer Tony Tortorici for making this such a smooth process from start to finish. I know that I will be stepping into the role long-held by Jim Paschke, and I appreciate his passion for the team and the memorable moments his voice will always be a part of. I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge his work and commitment to the franchise, and it's my honor to be the one who takes the baton from him. I'm particularly excited to work with such an amazing team of Marques Johnson, Zora Stephenson, Steve Novak and everyone involved with Bucks games at Bally Sports Wisconsin."

Byington recently worked at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo for NBC Sports as a play-by-play announcer for both men's and women's soccer. She has also been a play-by-play announcer and a reporter for games on extensive networks like FOX Sports, FS1, Big Ten Network, CBS, Turner Sports, Pac-12 Network, ESPN, and the SEC Network.


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