Longtime basketball analyst and Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Debbie Antonelli will be honored with the Inspiring Sports Storyteller Award by the Indiana Sports Corp this November, the organization announced on Oct. 13.
Antonelli will be recognized at the annual State of Sports event, presented by Indiana University, on Nov. 13 at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. The award celebrates journalists who use storytelling to highlight how sports can inspire community action and investment.
Currently a TV analyst for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and a national commentator for ESPN and CBS, Antonelli has been a broadcaster for more than 35 years. She is widely recognized as an influential voice and trailblazer in women’s basketball.
“We are thrilled to celebrate Debbie’s legacy by recognizing her with the Inspiring Sports Storyteller Award,” Indiana Sports Corp President Patrick Talty said. “For over 35 years, she has made a lasting impact by using her voice to uplift women’s basketball and show how sports can unite a community.”
Antonelli’s pioneering career includes creating and broadcasting the first televised women’s basketball games at the University of Kentucky, where she served as the first Director of Marketing. In 2017, she broke a 22-year barrier by becoming the first woman to serve as an analyst for NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games during the first and second rounds.
Her work has garnered significant acclaim, including two Emmy Awards, a Gracie Award, and the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. She has been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, and the North Carolina State Women’s Basketball Ring of Honor.
Beyond the broadcast booth, Antonelli is the founder of a major philanthropic initiative, “24 Hours Nothing but Net.” The annual fundraiser, which began in 2019, is a 24-hour free-throw marathon that has raised over $1.4 million for Special Olympics programs. She also created “Elevate,” a post-secondary educational program at North Carolina State University for students with intellectual disabilities.
The Inspiring Sports Storyteller Award has previously been given to journalists including Gregg Doyel, Malcom Moran, Sage Steele, Rowdy Gaines, and Anne Marie Tiernon.
State of Sports is an annual fundraiser that celebrates the impact of athletics across Indiana. This year, individual tickets are being offered for $25, the lowest price in the event’s history. The program aims to highlight the organization’s mission to enrich lives through sports.
For more information about the 2025 State of Sports, visit IndianaSportsCorp.org/stateofsports.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846 or email him at noralp@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on social media @horsemensportsmedia. For more sports, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
