As a former collegiate basketball player, Lisa Salters decided to take her talents from the court to in front of the camera. Her choice to move in front of the camera has paid off for both her and basketball fans. That’s why she is this week’s spotlight.
Born in Pennsylvania, Salters decided to stay instate and attend Penn State. While there, she played for the women’s basketball team which was something she kind of fell into. After a lot of convincing from one of her friends, Salters decided to try out and earned a spot on the roster and eventually in the history books. She is the shortest female to ever play on the basketball team at 5 foot 2 inches. While Salters loved the game, she felt indifferent while on the team. She believed that she didn’t get a fair chance, or as much playing time as she felt she deserved. After a year on the team, Salters decided to stop playing and instead shifted her focus back on her degree.
In 1988, she graduated from Penn State with a degree in broadcast journalism. Her broadcasting career is where most of us know her from now. She began her career in journalism in Baltimore where she worked from 1988-1995 for WBAL-TV. From 1995-2000, Salters was employed by ABC News and then in 2000, she started her career with ESPN and ESPN on ABC.
She began her career at ESPN as a general assignment reporter, but quickly branched out. In 2005, she began covering the NBA and from 2006-2010, she was the sideline reporter for the ABC’s Saturday Night Football. Currently, Salters is known for being a sideline reporter during Monday Night Football and a correspondent for E:60 which focuses on serious sports topics. Taking risks with stories has really paid off for Salters too. She was awarded the Gracie Award from the Association for Women in Radio and Television in 2009 for best feature. She was also nominated for a Sports Emmy for ‘Ray Of Hope’ which focused on the tragic death of Jason Ray, North Carolina Tar Heel’s mascot.
During her tenure with ABC, she covered the OJ Simpson murder case along with other murder cases. She has also interviewed Peyton Manning about the Al Jazeera report and also interviewed Brandon Marshall about his struggle with mental illness. Salter’s ability to handle sensitive and difficult topics is what makes her such a great journalist because she doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable issues. She realizes the story is sometimes bigger than her.
