As women’s basketball has rapidly gained popularity in recent years, one voice has become synonymous with the sport’s growth: ESPN’s Ryan Ruocco. Serving as ESPN’s lead WNBA play-by-play commentator since 2013, alongside analyst Rebecca Lobo, Ruocco initially needed some persuasion to accept this role nearly 12 years ago. In an interview with Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, he shared, “They actually had to convince me somewhat that this was going to be an awesome assignment.” However, it didn’t take long for him to recognize that calling WNBA games would be one of the best decisions of his career.
“What’s funny about it is I didn’t know what a gem of a project it was. I didn’t know I was going to fall in love with the WNBA the way that I did—but it happened instantly,” Ruocco explained. “It took maybe a game or two before I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this league is awesome. Rebecca is awesome.’ I just loved the collegiate feel of everyone involved with the league. And it took off from there.” It seems fans are finally catching up to what Ruocco discovered over a decade ago, as women’s basketball viewership has skyrocketed recently, driven by Caitlin Clark-mania, with both college and professional levels breaking decades-long records.
In a unique arrangement for women’s basketball, Ruocco calls the top games at both college and pro levels. Following Adam Amin’s departure to Fox Sports in 2021, Ruocco stepped in as ESPN’s lead voice for women’s college basketball. With the women’s college season concluding just over a month before the WNBA season begins, the combination of Ruocco and Lobo establishes them as the premier voices of women’s basketball. Since 2021, Ruocco has commented on both the WNBA Finals and the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Final Four every year, so when you hear his voice during a women’s basketball game, you know it’s an important one.
