Calling history: Meet Peacock's play-by-play broadcaster for Caitlin Clark's historic game
When Iowa star Caitlin Clark scored zero points in the fourth quarter in the Hawkeyes' loss to Nebraska on Sunday, it left her eight points short of setting the NCAA women's basketball career scoring record.
Even though the game drew nearly two million viewers on FOX, Clark's potential record-breaking moment has now fallen into the hands of Peacock, the streaming service that is a subsidiary of NBC Universal.
Peacock will exclusively broadcast Iowa's game against Michigan on Thursday, when Clark can pass former Washington star and current Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum on the all-time list. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, with a pregame show starting at 7:30 p.m.
Peacock is again looking to capitalize and increase its footprint in the sports world. The streaming service, which has 30 million subscribers, will also have a special alternate feed following Clark's every move during the game. NBC Universal paid $110 million to broadcast the AFC wild-card playoff matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, which was seen by 23 million people, making the game the most-streamed event ever in the United States.
That game also helped add nearly three million subscribers and, with Clark's appeal to the basketball world and beyond, Peacock is banking on more of the same.
Play-by-play duties for Thursday's game will be handled by 30-year-old Zora Stephenson, who is the play-by-play voice for Big Ten women's basketball on Peacock and a sideline reporter for Notre Dame football and Big Ten football on NBC.
The Washington, D.C. native, who was a three-year starter for the women's basketball team at Elon University, knows all eyes will be on Clark – and her, as she calls the action. To say Stephenson didn't expect the career she has so far – which started at a small television station in Greenville, North Carolina – is an understatement.
"Basketball was everything to me. What this orange ball has done for me is so spectacular and amazing," Stephenson said to USA TODAY Sports. "Especially doing play-by-play. Who would I have looked at as a Black woman when I was growing up to say, 'I want to call basketball games in that seat?' I wasn't exposed to it, and really grateful to be in the position I am in."
Clark, who is averaging 32.1 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.0 rebounds per game this season and selling out arenas home and away, reminds Stephenson of a rock band going on tour. She also sees similarities to the championship run made by the Milwaukee Bucks, who she spent four years covering as a sideline and digital reporter for Bally Sports/Fox Wisconsin.
"She has captivated America with the way that she plays the game of basketball," Stephenson said of Clark. "There have been so many greats before her, but it is the perfect pinnacle of where the sport is at today, and her game that has just blown up. You have to guard her everywhere and be ready for a track meet because she will always be moving."
It's another chance for Peacock to buck perception and get the negative taste out of its mouth after being slammed because NFL fans were unhappy about paying a streaming service to watch a game. But Stephenson is relishing the opportunity, not only for women's basketball but also herself. It's a chance to showcase her skills to another audience.
"This might be the biggest opportunity that I have had yet in this play-by-play seat," she said. "People's opinions, I can't control that, but I can control how I prepare and the standard I set for myself."
Stephenson, who is second in Elon's school history in 3-point field goal percentage, says she couldn't believe Clark didn't break the record against Nebraska. But she's certainly not complaining since it's likely she now gets to be on the call for it. In her 125 career games, Clark has failed to score in double figures only once (8 points on Jan 9, 2021 in a loss to Northwestern).
Stephenson hasn't rehearsed the call for when Clark does break the record and, like many others, hopes it comes on a play such as a 35-foot heave instead of at the free throw line.
"As a play-by-play person, yeah. And I think if you ask Caitlin, she would rather have it on a 3 than a free throw," Stephenson said, but added she has mentors, such as sportscaster Brian Anderson (Milwaukee Brewers, TNT, TBS), who told her not to plan what she is going to say when special moments happen.
"No signature call for me," she said. "It's Caitlin's moment, not mine."