Rebecca Lobo, one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time, will be on the ABC call alongside Ryan Ruocco and Holly Rowe on Saturday afternoon when the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky kick off their WNBA seasons.

Lobo spoke to Front Office Sports about the unique rivalry between the two teams, the tight-knit ESPN/ABC broadcast crew that works together all year, and potential impacts of expansion teams and the new CBA on the WNBA. 

Front Office Sports: The Fever-Sky games have taken on a life of their own, in large part because of the rivalry Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have had dating back to college. Do you think we might see some more physical combat again this year? Or will it be more of a basketball game?

Rebecca Lobo: [Laughs.] It’s funny the way you phrase that, physical combat. I think we’re going to see really good basketball.

We had the one game with the Chennedy Carter push. That was, to me, the only part of the games those two teams played that was a little bit out of line. I think you’re going to see great basketball.

That certainly has become an interesting and fun rivalry, Chicago and Indiana, that started a year ago. I think people are, of course, going to be tuning in to watch Caitlin and Angel, but I think they’re also going to be tuning in to say, “O.K., what does the Indiana Fever look like this year with the pieces they acquired in free agency?” The same thing with Chicago. “What are they going to look like with a new coaching staff, and veteran pieces, especially on the perimeter that are surrounding their talented young bigs inside?”

The curiosity a year ago when the two teams played was mostly focused on Caitlin and Angel. This year, I think the focus for people tuning in to the game Saturday is going to be broader. 

FOS: You, Ryan Ruocco, and Holly Rowe have a special continuity being the top announce team for women’s college hoops and the WNBA. What are some fun aspects of the group chat that viewers might not know about?

RL: I mean, first, there is one. But yeah, we’re kind of in constant communication with anything that’s happening, whether it’s a player on the injured list or where someone’s going in the portal or free-agency signings.

We talk a lot about basketball in our group chat. The nice thing is, we do the draft together, and then we had a couple weeks off where we didn’t really see each other, and then we do a preseason game and we jump back right into the same chemistry and flow.

And then we had another couple weeks off before the game this weekend, and we’ll just pick up seamlessly when we’re calling the games.

For more on what Lobo expects from this unprecedented 2025 WNBA season and her dynamic with ESPN teammates Rowe and Ruocco, read Ryan Glasspiegel’s full story here.

From the ManningCast to its MegaCast coverage of the College Football Playoff, no network leans in to alternative telecasts more than ESPN. In the latest move, the network is planning an alternate telecast for the NBA’s Western Conference finals.

The new InsightCast with Ryan Ruocco, Tim Legler, and Kirk Goldsberry will provide alternative coverage of four games during the series, ESPN said on a media call. The 2025 Western Conference finals between the Timberwolves and either the Thunder or Nuggets will begin May 20. 

Phil Orlins, ESPN’s EVP of production, says he’s targeting two viewership groups: “die-hards” and “new-schooler” younger fans.

“It’s die-hards, which we recognize as our biggest cohort of viewers, who really love sports and want to watch as much as they can watch and want to learn and consume everything they consume. That’s a little different than the traditionalists who also watch a lot and want to keep things the way they were,” said Orlins. “We talk about new-schoolers, the younger type of viewers. So, to me, the two main places we go are the young new-school type viewer and the really, really passionate heavy consumers who love every aspect of the sport.”

Legler said the alt-cast won’t just be for younger viewers. “I don’t think you necessarily have to be the young gamer that’s looking at the Avatar stuff or whatever because it relates more to what they’re doing when they’re playing their game at home. I think it’s anybody that loves the game that wants to get a little bit smarter and have a little bit of a better idea of what players are seeing when they’re on the court, and why they make some of the decisions that they make, how tight the windows can be to make some of those decisions,” he said. 

• Fox Sports is preparing to televise its first Indianapolis 500 on May 25. It’s tapping many of the same star NFL on-air talents who just appeared in the network’s upfront presentation to advertisers to promote the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Michael Strahan are slated to appear during Fox’s 60 hours of live coverage. Brady will take the “Fastest Seat in Sports” ride next to seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson. Strahan will drive the Indy 500 pace car, while Gronkowski will serve as grand marshal of the infamous infield Indy 500 Snake Pit. Will Buxton, James Hinchcliffe, and Townsend Bell will lead Fox’s race coverage, while Jamie Little, Kevin Lee, and Georgia Henneberry will broadcast from the pits. Danica Patrick, Tony Stewart, and Chris Myers will also join the coverage.
• Word on the street during the upfronts was that the newly hired Peter Schrager could be in line for his own show at ESPN. During his short time with the four letters since jumping over from NFL Network, Schrager has impressed his bosses as a “Swiss Army knife” talent who can host shows, serve as an analyst, and work alongside Adam Schefter as an NFL insider. Alex Sherman of CNBC speculated that a Schrager-led show could replace Around the Horn, which airs its last episode after a 23-year run on May 23. We already advocated in March that ESPN should replace the canceled ATH with an insiders show. It would be cool to see Schefter and Schrager, who teamed up at the NFL Draft, host such a show. Stay tuned.
• The upfronts are always a whirlwind. What a surprise when the sports media press visited Disney’s Robert A. Iger building in downtown Manhattan—only to meet the legendary Mouse House chairman himself.

“I love who I work with. I love ESPN. I love golf, the NFL, and ideally I’ll be able to stick around.”

—ESPN NFL/golf reporter Jeff Darlington to our David Rumsey on the state of his contract negotiations. Front Office Sports previously reported Darlington is poised to become a free agent this summer.