Sports odds and ends
Wendell Epps, the Minnesota Lynx’s new radio play-by-play voice, is a seasoned veteran at only 22 years of age, a year fresh out of college. Among other things listed on his LinkedIn page are four years of play-by-play announcing, sports podcast host, and his school’s director of broadcasting.
“Soon as I got to High Point (NC) University as a freshman in 2019, I was given the opportunity right away to do broadcasting for them,” recalled Epps, who called men’s basketball and lacrosse contests. He also made the Dean’s List and was student chapter president of the National Sports Media Association for two years.
All this, said Epps, “really just allowed me to become a better broadcaster and a better leader…go to the professional world and make that a seamless transition.”
The Lynx in mid-May announced the hiring of Epps for its radio play-by-play upon returning to the radio airways for the first time since 2019. He will not only be heard on all 40 Lynx regular season games, but he’ll also create new and exclusive team content across all digital platforms throughout the WNBA season and off season.
Also, it’s the first time in organization history that the Lynx and Timberwolves both have Black men as their main broadcast voices at the same time—the Wolves’ Michael Grady and Epps with the Lynx, the team’s first Black broadcaster.
“Joining an organization, they already have someone of color that they highly value, so that another one [hired] would be great,” said Epps. “I’m an African American. I always represent my mom’s side too. My mom was born and raised in Peru. So, I represent two minorities, and I just take a lot of pride in being able to be a voice for them.
“My hope is that I can continue to connect with people of my race but also people even outside my race, and I just want to be able to be a voice and a source of inspiration and motivation for everybody,” said Epps.
Epps comes to Minnesota after calling televised games last season for the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s G-League team, and concurrently served as a radio graduate associate with the Orlando Magic, working all home and away broadcasts. Epps also hosted the team’s “Around the NBA” scoreboard segment for all Orlando Magic away radio broadcasts.
He got the Orlando job after connecting with two Orlando Magic representatives Epps met while attending the Black Sports Business Symposium in Atlanta just before his graduation. “I told them about my aspirations and they were telling me about the graduate associate program [which he had previously applied for]. I’ve made a good impression with them.”
His one season in Orlando proved to be an important stepping stone in his budding broadcasting career. “We need more people of color in sports,” Epps said. “There were times [in college] I was the only person of color in either the broadcast booth or control room.”
Epps believes that he is far from being a finished product. “I feel like I’m a very strong broadcaster. I consider my style to be very energetic, very enthusiastic, but I’m also extremely knowledgeable.
“I want to be able to tell the stories of these players in this organization. It’s going to be a great season.”