NBA All-Star Portraits Ruth Riley

Ruth Riley to Assume Role as TV Studio & Radio Analyst

MIAMI – The Miami Heat has hired Ruth Riley to be the team’s next radio and studio TV Analyst beginning this season.  In her dual role, Riley will assume the radio analyst responsibilities for all Heat home games and will serve as the television studio analyst for all Heat road games on Fox Sports Sun. Riley will also appear during home pre and post games shows on the team’s exclusive television partner and will contribute to the organization’s overall community service goals as a liaison.
 
“We are delighted to welcome Ruth Riley back into the Heat Family as the newest member of our award-winning broadcast team,” said Michael McCullough, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of The Heat Group. “Ruth’s knowledge of the game, her championship pedigree and her work ethic made her the perfect choice for us.”
 
Riley was the only Irish player with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career and the first to be honored with the Naismith Award in 2001. That same year, Riley notched the game-winning free-throw to lead the Irish to their first NCAA women’s basketball title and was named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. In addition, Riley was a two-time First Team All-American and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. 

Upon graduating from Notre Dame with Summa Cum Laude honors, the Miami SOL selected her with the fifth overall pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft. Riley would play two seasons for the SOL before landing with the Detroit Shock. The former All-Star would be part of two WNBA Championship teams in Detroit (2003 and 2006), and was named the WNBA Finals MVP in 2003.  She was the first woman to be named MVP of both an NCAA and WNBA Championship team. Riley has also won two NWBL Titles, a EuroCup Championship, and was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team that captured the gold medal in Athens. Riley played with five teams during her 13-year WNBA career and served as the first Vice President of the WNBA Players Association in nine of those seasons.  
 
“I am thrilled to re-join the Heat family as the newest member of their very talented and reputable broadcast team,” said Riley. “As a rookie in 2001, Miami provided me the perfect foundation for a long and successful WNBA career, and I am incredibly excited to now embark on my NBA rookie broadcasting season back in South Florida where it all began.”
 
Riley has remained close to the game since her playing days ended in 2013. She has served as a global ambassador and spokesperson for the NBA/WNBA traveling the world as part of various initiatives aimed at positively affecting families and children. The San Antonio Stars tabbed her to become their General Manager in 2016, where for two years she oversaw all aspects of the team’s business and basketball operations. Most recently, she has served as the Global Director of Women’s Programs at the NBA Academy, which focuses on the growth and establishment of elite basketball training centers around the world to develop top international male and female prospects.
 

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