ESPN NBA sideline reporter Lisa Salters missed ABC’s broadcast of Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers due to a ‘personal matter.’
During its telecast Sunday night, ESPN disclosed that Salters’s mother is dealing with “serious health issues.’ In an earlier statement, ESPN revealed Salters would miss Sunday night’s game in Oklahoma City and said, “We send her our best.”
Jorge Sedano, who had been the sideline reporter for ESPN radio during the finals, replaced Salters. Vanessa Richardson stepped in for him on the radio call. The network has not yet disclosed plans for Game 3, which is scheduled for Wednesday, June 11, in Indianapolis.
Stephanie White, Salters’ partner and head coach of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, missed the Fever’s June 7 game against the Chicago Sky with what team called a ‘personal reason.’
“I really want to win for Steph, she’s going through a tough time with her family right now,” Fever player DeWanna Bonner told the IndyStar, part of the USA TODAY Network, before Saturday night’s win over the Sky. “We want to rally together and get this one for her.”
Salters has been the lead NBA sideline reporter for ESPN/ABC’s broadcast of the finals since 2022 and covered the league for the network since 2005. She has been the sideline reporter for the network’s top NFL team since 2012 and currently works with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on “Monday Night Football” as the longest-tenured sideline reporter in “MNF” history.
Salters won her first Sports Emmy in the “Outstanding Personality/Reporter” category in 2023. She’s been with ESPN since 2000.
