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During ESPN’s coverage of the 2025 NBA Finals, Vanessa Richardson will serve as co-host of the Hoop Streams digital pregame show with Iman Shumpert for the first time. The duo will work on-site for every game of the Pacers-Thunder series. Coverage tips off Thursday night on ABC (8:00 p.m. ET).
Front Office Sports talked with Richardson, also a Rockets sideline reporter, about her new ESPN gig and the matchup between two high-octane teams.
Front Office Sports: Congrats on scoring the Hoop Streams gig on the biggest stage of all. What was your reaction when you heard?
Vanessa Richardson: I am a loyal Hoop Streams watcher. So when the opportunity came, I was really excited. Everybody knows that everything is digital now. Digital is very important. It’s a very big part of NBA coverage specifically. There’s a huge audience of people that want to consume NBA content digitally. It’s an honor. I’ve done some work in the past with ESPN national radio. So it’s not my first time, necessarily, with ESPN. But it’s my first time in this role. We had so much fun during the Western Conference finals. I think the Finals are going to be incredible.
FOS: As a veteran of radio and TV, what’s the smart lane for digital shows like Hoop Streams?
VR: We’ve said from the get-go, we’re not trying to be NBA Countdown. We’re trying to be a good hang. We talk X’s & O’s, but we also talk fashion, we talk about the music that players like. To me, Hoop Streams marries the free-flowing nature of radio with the visuals of TV. Which I really like.
FOS: Let’s talk Pacers-Thunder. Are we underestimating the caliber of basketball we’re about to watch? These are two teams that love to run.
VR: People are absolutely underestimating these two teams. The folks who say it’s going to be boring? I’m not sure they know basketball. These are two exciting teams. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are both deep teams. I covered a pretty deep team during the regular season with the Houston Rockets. The thing about deep teams is it could be anybody’s night—on any given night. That’s exciting basketball. That’s good basketball. Both teams play defense. You have an incredible coaching matchup. So just because these are two small-market teams does not mean it’s going to be boring.
FOS: As a Hoosier, what do you think about Indiana currently being the center of the basketball universe with the Pacers in the Finals and Caitlin Clark of the Fever?
VR: [Indiana] is having a moment—but the moment started with Caitlin Clark. What Caitlin Clark has done not only for the city of Indianapolis but women’s basketball? They’re at the point where they are getting chartered flights. And young boys are caring about the WNBA. So Caitlin has had an enormous impact on Indianapolis. But also women’s basketball in general.
FOS: What do your Rockets need to get back to the Finals?
VR: It’s such an exciting time for the Rockets. It’s a young team, very deep and they got the playoff experience they needed. I think Amen Thompson is a future superstar in the league. Alperen Sengun had an incredible All-Star year. So the future is super-exciting in Houston. I don’t think it’s that long before they make a deep run in the playoffs.
