LaChina Robinson is an award-winning host and basketball analyst for ESPN. Now in her 15th WNBA season, she also covered college basketball for 12 years. Robinson originally joined ESPN in 2009 as a college basketball analyst and reporter. Her extensive work spans all of the sport’s major events – NCAA Tournament, Women’s Final Four, WNBA Playoffs, Finals, and Draft coverage.
Beyond television, Robinson hosts the weekly WNBA-themed “Around The Rim” video series on ESPN’s YouTube channel. Robinson originally launched “Around the Rim” as a women’s basketball podcast for espnW, which she hosted for six years. In 2017, the popular offering was named one of the best sports podcasts of the year by Sports Illustrated.
In addition to ESPN, Robinson has covered the WNBA for various networks, including Turner and Fox.
Robinson has received a variety of honors and awards throughout her career, including the Dawn Staley Excellence in Broadcasting Award (2018), and the prestigious Mel Greenberg Award (2021). Presented annually to a member of the media or sports communications professional who best displays a commitment to women’s basketball and to advancing the role of the media in the women’s game, Robinson became just the second Black woman to win the award in its 30 years of existence – following in the footsteps of one of her mentors, Robin Roberts (2001).
In 2020, Robinson was recognized with the Giving Gracefully Award – a nod to her work as co-founder of her own non-profit, Rising Media Stars, a mentorship and training program for young women of color who want to start a career in sports broadcasting. Robinson also regularly volunteers her time for related organizations, including current appointments to the Board of Trustees for the Women’s Sports Foundation and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
Robinson established her own consulting company, Stretch Beyond, in 2008. As Founder and CEO, Robinson is an NCAA-certified facilitator and career transition coach for women and athletes. Her work in this space has made her a sought-after personal brand developer and keynote speaker for colleges and universities, including Cal, Florida, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Penn State, and many others.
Robinson has been inducted into two Halls of Fame in her hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, including an inaugural member of the Alexandria City Public School’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.
In college, Robinson was a student-athlete at Wake Forest University where she achieved All-ACC recognition both in the classroom and on the court. A four-year starter for the Demon Deacons and a member of the 1999 ACC All-Freshman Team, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
Following graduation, Robinson spent seven years with the Georgia Tech women’s basketball program (2003-10), occupying a variety of positions, including director of basketball operations and special assistant to the head coach.