Five things to know about Monica McNutt, ESPN broadcaster and Knicks radio analyst

The longtime radio broadcaster isn’t exactly new to the spotlight or being present for big-time Knicks moments in recent memory. But she’s far more than a viral moment with Taylor Swift.

The New York Knicks are one game away from history, and after their history-making Game 4 comeback versus the San Antonio Spurs, one of their broadcast team members became the story, for the smallest of reasons.

Monica McNutt, one of ESPN’s primary analysts for both men’s and women’s basketball, and an occasional guest on “Get Up” and other ESPN shows, also serves as the Knicks radio host for MSG Network. McNutt, a Georgetown grad, found herself caught on a hot mic questioning Taylor Swift’s fandom as the pop singer was spotted on celebrity row during Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

During an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” on Friday, McNutt admitted she misspoke about Swift’s Knicks fandom, after someone on the MSG Network staff informed her of photos of a younger Swift at Knicks games and that her allegiance to the Knicks dates back to her affinity for Amar’e Stoudemire, when he played for the squad from 2010 to 2015.

“I had not seen her, but shoutout to her,” McNutt said. “The more we know. I don’t even remember saying it, I just said, ‘Girl, get outta here, I ain’t seen you all year. If I was in a different body, it would be nothing.”

The Knicks’ playoff run has created a swell of unity across the city not seen in decades. As the Knicks vie for the opportunity to end a 53-year title drought on Saturday, here are five things you need to know about McNutt, and why she’s far bigger and greater than an awkward moment involving a celebrity.

She’s A Hooper

McNutt, a Maryland native, played all four of her collegiate seasons at Georgetown. Known for her defense, she averaged a career high 2.2 steals per game her junior year and averaged a career high of 11.2 points per game. Although the Hoyas didn’t win an NCAA title during McNutt’s four years, they did advance to the NCAA tournament in her junior and senior seasons, reaching the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history in 2011.

“Georgetown is the foundation of my career,” McNutt said in a 2024 alumni spotlight. “It’s a place that helped me find my voice and develop the basketball eye that would be critical to the career I continue to build. My time on the women’s basketball team, particularly the two years that I was a team captain, helped me develop self-awareness which has benefited me tremendously personally and in the workplace. At the root of media is the ability to communicate, which requires understanding your audience.”

She Master’d It

Before she even graduated from Georgetown, McNutt was already working the sidelines as a reporter for Georgetown football games. After her basketball career concluded in the NCAA tournament with a loss to perennial powerhouse UConn, McNutt graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences with a degree in English. However, her time in education wasn’t done just yet. She would earn a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland in 2013.

“I wanted to be able to host, to report, to tell stories,” she said, introducing herself to the group of reporters who had come to cover what eventually would be her final basketball game.

She’s one of the voices of the Knicks

Since 2023, McNutt has served as the Knicks’ primary radio analyst. The run also coincides with the team’s most consistent stretch of success on the court, as since 2022, the Knicks have become a constant fixture in the postseason and have won playoff series in each of the past four seasons. After back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, the squad made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025, their first appearance in the NBA’s Final Four since 2000.

McNutt was right there calling games on 98.7 ESPN in NYC. In 2019, she joined MSG Networks as a host of alternative Knicks broadcasts, with pre- and post-game duties beginning in 2021.

She’s an ESPN fan favorite

Whether it’s “Get Up,” “First Take,” or occasionally schooling Stephen A. Smith on WNBA matters, McNutt has readily become one of the four-letter network’s more beloved hosts and guests.

Lauded for her knowledge and relatability on calls, McNutt has emerged as one of ESPN’s go-to stars for hoops coverage. When the WNBA’s rise in popularity also came with a lightning-rod moment in 2024 featuring then-Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, McNutt was front and center to defend the league and its players from those who happened to helicopter in thanks to Clark’s college exploits.

“There’s been this prevailing narrative that the WNBA is mad at this little white girl being the great white hope,” McNutt told a panel of Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Molly Qerim that went viral. “That’s been unfair and very frustrating for those of us who have covered the league for a very long time.” 

She’s all in on ‘Knicks in five’

The Knicks have trailed by double digits in every game of the NBA Finals so far. In three of the four games, they’ve been able to walk the Spurs down and eventually win. Would McNutt want to see a title be won at Madison Square Garden in Game 6 or would she want to see the Knicks close it out Saturday night? In her eyes? Knicks in five.

“I came into the series saying Knicks in six, but you gotta put them away,” she said. “You gotta put ’em away. If they get it done in San Antonio, so be it. We’ll have the parade, we’ll have the celebration and party all summer.”

Still, 48 hours removed from possibly the most emotional basketball game in New York history, the Knicks have a job to do. And the Spurs want to push it back to a potential deciding Game 7 in San Antonio on June 19.

Either way, McNutt will be front and center for every single moment.