Suzette Maria Taylor(born May 12, 1987) is an American sportscaster forNBC Sports.She has worked forESPNand theSEC Network.She has coveredcollege football,collegevolleyball,National Basketball Association( NBA ),National Football League(NFL), and men's and women'scollege basketball.
Maria Taylor | |
|---|---|
 Taylor in 2015 | |
| Born | Suzette Maria Taylor May 12, 1987 Cookeville, TN,U.S.[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Employer | NBC Sports |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editTaylor was born on May 12, 1987, to Steve and Suzette Taylor. She was born inCookeville,Tennessee,while her father was a coach atTennessee Tech University.[1]
She is 6'2 "in height.[3]
High school and college athlete
editWhile attendingCentennial High SchoolinRoswell, Georgia,she had a successful four-yearbasketballcareer in which she received many accolades. Among the awards were being a member of theAtlantaTip-Off Team of the Year, being aFulton CountyScholar Athlete of the Year, Offensive MVP of her high school volleyball team for three years, a three-time All-Region Selection, and being named All-State as a senior. Taylor was additionally selected to be a member of the 2004USA VolleyballJunior National A2 team.[4]
Taylor received an athletic scholarship to theUniversity of Georgia,where she continued to play volleyball and basketball from 2005 until 2009. While at Georgia she was named a member of the All-SEC volleyball team each season. She also continued to play for the US Volleyball Junior National A2 team, and helped them win a bronze medal during the Open Division of the US Volleyball Championships.[4]By the time her playing days were done in the fall of 2008, Taylor ranked fourth all-time in program history in careerkillswith 1,729 and was fourth all-time in total points with 2,020.
Career
edit
Prior to 2012, Taylor was a reporter and host forIMG Collegeat theUniversity of Georgiafor three years. She also appeared on various studio shows, includingDawg Report,SEC Men's Basketball Tonight,andSportsNite.[citation needed]
ESPN
editIn 2013, Taylor was the sideline reporter onESPN2’s weekly Saturday-night primetime college football telecast in addition to theOrange Bowl,her second straight year covering the annual bowl game. She has been an analyst on the NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Show, NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Preview Show and also ESPN's coverage of both the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and Women's Volleyball National Championship for the previous two years.
Taylor joined theSEC Networkin 2014. She was a college football reporter on SEC Network with commentatorBrent MusburgerandJesse Palmer,and was also an analyst on other SEC telecasts including volleyball and women's basketball. Additionally, she provided sideline coverage for the 2016Rose Bowl GamebetweenStanford Universityand theUniversity of Iowa.In 2017, Maria joined theCollege GameDaybroadcast team as reporter and host, replacingSamantha Ponder(who became the host ofSunday NFL Countdown), and was anESPNhost and reporter for theCollege Football Playoffbetween theUniversity of Georgiaand theUniversity of Oklahoma.Subsequently, she was a host and reporter for the2018 College Football Playoff National Championshipbetween theUniversity of Alabamaand theUniversity of Georgia.[5][6]Taylor was the sideline reporter forSaturday Night Footballon ABC, withChris FowlerandKirk Herbstreitcalling the game from the booth.
In 2019, Taylor began hostingNBA Countdown,the pre-game show for ESPN's Friday night and Sunday afternoon NBA games. Amid theCOVID-19 pandemicin 2020, ESPN scrapped its original plan forThe Jump,hosted byRachel Nichols,to serve as theNBA Finalspregame show, and instead named Taylor'sNBA Countdownthe Finals pregame and halftime show.[7]In 2020, she was the sideline reporter forPittsburgh SteelersvsNew York GiantsMonday Night Footballopener.[8]
NBC Sports
editIn 2020, ESPN reportedly offered to increase Taylor's $1 million annual salary to $5 million, which she turned down. Taylor left the network the day after the2021 NBA Finalsconcluded on July 20. Her departure came after a conference call betweenRachel NicholsandLeBron James's advisor Adam Mendelsohn from July 2020 that suggested that the network’s decision to choose Taylor to host the NBA Finals was due to her race was leaked earlier that month.[9][10][11]Two days later, Taylor joinedNBC Sports,and made her on-air debut for the network during coverage of the2020 Summer Olympicson July 23, 2021.[12]
In the2021 NFL season,Taylor joined NBC'sSunday Night Footballpre-game showFootball Night in Americaas a panelist.[13]In May 2022, it was announced that Taylor would replaceMike Tirico(who was moving to the lead play-by-play position forSunday Night Football) as the lead host of the program.[14]Taylor served as the host for the men's and women's semi-finals and finals during NBC's coverage of the2022 French Open.[15]In addition toFootball Night in America,since 2023, Taylor has also served as host for NBC'scollege footballcoverage, serving in the role duringBig TenandNotre Damegames.
For the2024 Summer Olympics,Taylor was named a host again by NBC, taking responsibilities for theNBC Late Night Weekendrecap segments as well as the nightly prime timeNBC Olympic Zone.[16][17]
Personal life
editMaria is married to Jonathan Lee Hemphill. They married on February 12, 2021, and welcomed their first child on December 24, 2023, who they named Roman Ryan Taylor Hemphill. They currently reside inAtlanta, Georgia.[18][19]
References
edit- ^abFrank, Jonathan (August 2, 2024)."WATCH: Olympic athlete, NBC sportscaster bond over shared Tennessee Tech connection".tntech.edu.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
- ^"6'4" NFL Reporter Maria Taylor Reveals New Wedding Photos, Husband Even Taller! ".2Paragraphs. April 29, 2021.RetrievedAugust 16,2021.
- ^"Where Are They Now: Maria Taylor".Archived fromthe originalon April 12, 2014.
- ^ab"Maria Taylor Georgia profile".
- ^Knapp, Corey (December 6, 2017)."Georgia football: ESPN announces broadcast team for Rose Bowl".dognation.Cox Media Group.RetrievedJanuary 9,2018.
- ^Kirshner, Alex (January 8, 2018)."ESPN's MegaCast is back again for the Playoff National Championship".sbnation.Vox Media.RetrievedJanuary 9,2018.
- ^"Doris Burke to make history by calling conference finals, NBA Finals on radio".Pro Basketball Talk.Associated Press. September 10, 2020.RetrievedJuly 11,2021.
- ^Allie Stoneberg (September 10, 2020)."ESPN Kicks Off the 50th Anniversary Season of Monday Night Football".espnpressroom.RetrievedSeptember 18,2020.
- ^Marchand, Andrew (June 30, 2021)."Maria Taylor, ESPN facing possible divorce over 'Stephen A. Smith money'".New York Post.RetrievedJuly 24,2021.
- ^Marchand, Andrew (July 8, 2021)."ESPN's $3 million offer to Maria Taylor may not let her finish NBA Finals".New York Post.RetrievedJuly 24,2021.
- ^Draper, Kevin (July 21, 2021)."With the N.B.A. Finals Complete, Maria Taylor Leaves ESPN".The New York Times.RetrievedJuly 22,2021.
- ^"NBC officially announces hiring of Maria Taylor, featuring her on-air Friday".Awful Announcing.July 24, 2021.RetrievedMay 12,2022.
- ^"Maria Taylor and Drew Brees will join NBC's Football Night In America".Awful Announcing.August 30, 2021.RetrievedMay 12,2022.
- ^"Maria Taylor will host NBC's Football Night in America".Awful Announcing.May 12, 2022.RetrievedMay 12,2022.
- ^"Maria Taylor will host NBC's Football Night in America".NBC Sports.May 31, 2022.RetrievedJune 5,2022.
- ^"Olympic Media Notes: Maria Taylor set as NBC's late-night Paris Games host".sportsbusinessjournal.July 24, 2024.RetrievedAugust 11,2024.
- ^"MARIA TAYLOR NAMED LATE NIGHT HOST FOR NBCUNIVERSAL'S COVERAGE OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES PARIS 2024".NBC Sports.June 4, 2024.RetrievedAugust 11,2024.
- ^"Who Is Maria Taylor's Husband? Jonathan Lee Hemphill's Job & Kids".yahoo.September 6, 2024.RetrievedOctober 6,2024.
- ^"Maria Taylor's husband: Everything we know about Jon Lee".briefly.co.za/.May 14, 2024.RetrievedOctober 6,2024.
External links
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