After leaving ESPN for more control over her schedule, Elle Duncan will now anchor USA Network’s first-ever WNBA studio coverage.
On Thursday, Sports Business Journal’s Richard Deitsch reported that Duncan will serve as the studio host for USA Sports’ inaugural WNBA coverage season, including pre-and-postgame programming on USA Network
Duncan’s new role comes after her recent move to Netflix, where she will make her debut Friday on “Skyscraper Live,” a two-hour global event featuring free solo climber Alex Honnold’s attempt to scale Taipei 101.
The assignment will include hosting Wednesday night WNBA doubleheaders on USA Network as part of an 11-year media rights agreement between the WNBA and Versant that runs through 2036 and includes at least 50 WNBA games annually.
Duncan’s agent Matt Olson recently revealed that she left ESPN not for a bigger paycheck but for control of her time and a true No. 1 role, explaining that while the Netflix and ESPN offers were financially competitive, Netflix offered a better schedule and flexibility to work at other places.
Duncan had established herself at ESPN as the host of “WNBA Countdown” alongside Chiney Ogwumike and Andraya Carter, with the trio earning audience praise for their chemistry during ESPN’s women’s Final Four coverage, according to Sports Business Journal.
ESPN moved quickly to replace Duncan by promoting Christine Williamson to co-anchor the 6 p.m. ET “SportsCenter” and become the network’s lead host for women’s college basketball coverage, with Duncan’s last “SportsCenter” appearance scheduled for Dec. 16.