Barclays Center in Brooklyn is usually the place where basketball fans go to watch the Nets and the New York Liberty take the floor. Sitting at the crossroads of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues in the Prospect Heights neighborhood, the aura of hoop culture is undeniable, making it the perfect destination for the players of tomorrow to be ushered into the Association. For those who are unable to attend in person, The Walt Disney Company will have extensive coverage of the NBA Draft on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Radio and across ESPN’s digital platforms.
The NBA Draft on ESPN will feature NBA Today host Malika Andrews and analysts JJ Redick and Jay Bilas. Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski and Front Office Insider Bobby Marks will provide their insights throughout the coverage, and reporter Monica McNutt will speak with draft picks and personnel throughout the night. Everyone on the network has done this before and excelled in their roles. However, there is one name making her NBA Draft debut Thursday night. It will be an immense step forward in her flourishing media career.
Andraya Carter pursued a career in professional basketball from a young age, and by the time she made it to the University of Tennessee, thought reaching the WNBA was a realistic possibility. A slew of injuries and setbacks forced her to reevaluate her career trajectory. When she declined her fifth year of NCAA eligibility and terminated her pursuit of a lifelong dream, Carter was perplexed and had no idea where to turn. The uncertainty and need to make a living forced her to take several smaller jobs, including driving for Uber and Lyft and working as a coach at Orangetheory Fitness.
Carter was encouraged to explore television as a side hustle after conversations with Maria Taylor, Carolyn Peck and LaChina Robinson. They figured she would be a good fit for the University of Tennessee basketball games streamed online on ESPN3. After an email exchange with ESPN Vice President of Production, Patricia Lowry, and an in-person meeting at the SEC Tournament, she was added to the SEC Network roster.
“Every producer that I worked with asked me what I felt the most passionate about,” Carter said. “When I was so nervous and when I was so, ‘No one try to force me into anything,’ everyone was just like, ‘Hey, what do you feel?’. I think having the freedom to speak to what I felt the most passionately about from very, very early on helped me get a jump on having confidence because I didn’t have to fake how I felt.”
The meeting Carter had with Lowry – which required help from Maria Taylor in order to secure a media credential to access the space – led to the ensuing opportunities. Early on in her time with the SEC Network doing studio work, she was given her own segment titled “Doing Work with ‘Draya,” on which she spoke about the value of hustle plays and analyzed several relevant examples.
“I was so fired up and so passionate about it, and I did it with confidence because I felt good about it,” Carter said. “It’s little things like that they didn’t have to do or give me early, and they did – they trusted me with it and I felt that. I think that goes a long way – the people around you and the people above you – [when] you feel like they trust you and you have some autonomy in what goes on, I think you grow the best that way.”
Conversations with coordinating producer Pete Watters and accruing commonalities and building chemistry with colleagues such as Alyssa Lang and Steffi Sorensen engendered professional development. From the very beginning, Carter felt she was afforded the chance to confidently assert her position on a wide array of topics and that she had the trust of her colleagues. The environment and commitment to producing stellar broadcasts has fueled her, but reaching the position she will be in Thursday night required she have plenty of experience and versatility in a wide variety of situations.
As she anticipates her debut as a reporter for the NBA Draft, Carter will utilize what she has learned from studio analysis and color commentary during games. Both roles are fixated on evaluating complex subtleties and making them comprehensible to the audience. The primary difference pertains to the cadence of the event and the time she has to make her points. During the NBA Draft, the clock governs the action. When the dulcet chimes ring, all attention turns to the stage where NBA Commissioner Adam Silver changes the life of an individual and their family forever. Everything else suddenly becomes irrelevant.
“You might have a point you want to make and then there’s a big shot; or you might have a storyline that you want to tell and there’s something else going on and you can’t quite get to it,” Carter explained. “For me, really the gist of it is still studying tendencies; studying strengths and weaknesses; and being able to articulate those things no matter what space I’m in.”
Although she has provided color commentary for NBA G-League games, the NBA Draft assignment on ESPN represents a significant step forward for Carter in terms of NBA coverage on ESPN. Leading into the day, she has watched countless hours of film and read stories about the draftees while also getting to know the colleagues she will share the airwaves with throughout the night. As a reporter, Carter’s role spans far beyond simply discussing a draftee or the fit on their roster.
“My first time doing any event, the prep is honestly outrageous because I’m just not exactly sure how to be efficient with it; what I need; what I’m looking for [and] what I don’t need,” Carter said. “My entire process for this year’s draft – I already have in my mind things I’ll do differently or things I can be cleaner on or more efficient on, and I’ll keep notes of what worked and what didn’t work and make adjustments.”
The spotlight will be on Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 center who is expected to be selected with the first-overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs. Wembanyama’s welcome to the league and assent thereafter will surely be a preponderance of the coverage of the NBA Draft. In fact, ESPN Senior NBA Writer Brian Windhorst traveled to Paris for an exclusive interview and story with Wembanyama. Leading up to the draft, he has participated in a variety of interviews ranging from a sit-down conversation with Good Morning America host Robin Roberts to a podcast appearance with JJ Redick.
“It’s really exciting because of the person that he is,” Carter said of Wembanyama. “When you listen to him talk and you’re around him, he’s insightful, he’s thoughtful and he is the type of player that you want to cover and that you want to spend time on.”
Just as when she was a player, Carter wants to continue to improve as a professional and manufacture mutually-beneficial relationships to underscore the on-air product and property at large. As a sports fan herself, Carter recognizes the brilliance of personalities like Ryan Ruocco and Malika Andrews and appreciates every opportunity to be in their presence and work alongside them.
“I’m covering athletes that work so hard, and so for me, it only makes sense for me to work hard for them as well,” Carter said. “I just feel a lot of motivation from the people in my support system; the people beside me and my colleagues; and then the athletes that I’m covering. Everyone around me – I just feel motivated by them all the time to do my best and try to show up ready to give everything that I can.”
Carter feels that she had a successful 2022 and reflected back on the year with gratitude and fulfillment. Yet she was not aware that award ceremonies existed in sports media, let alone that she would be honored with one. The National Sports Media Association is recognizing Carter as the winner of the ‘Best Young Reporter’ accolade. She is honored, but she is cognizant of the fact that it is just a marker on a much larger, expansive roadmap.
“It is nice to know that I’m on the right track and at least that I have systems and processes in place that translate and that work and that at least seem to be received well,” Carter said. “I think that’s special [and] I’m thankful.”
Before her first studio appearance on the SEC Network, Carter spilled a cup of soda at the desk with 30 seconds until air. It was an unambiguous moment of doubt and nervousness. Doubt and nerves permeated her psyche until the show’s producer told her to leave it and proceed as if nothing had happened, and so that’s what she did.
Once she began to grow more comfortable with her role, Carter took on opportunities to co-host the studio program, Out of Pocket, and tried her hand at college football sideline reporting. Whether or not the calendar year ends in recognition for her work, Carter’s internal goal is to feel good about her media endeavors and have a feeling of progress and vertical integration.
Carter’s focus lies on effectively performing her role during the NBA Draft; that is, divulging her basketball acumen and extrapolating the path to the hardwood. Plenty of hackneyed maxims exist talking about how things rarely ever go according to plan, and that it is incumbent on the afflicted to demonstrate malleability to thrive.
Carter knows the uphill battle she faced throughout her basketball career, along with the one she endured to reach this point as a broadcaster. During her formative years in the industry, Carter continued to work multiple jobs and thought about stopping broadcasting altogether to become a fitness coach on a full-time basis. The journey, however, is far from over.
“You can pivot from that and you can turn it into something that you still love and you still enjoy and you still can be great at and feel like your best self,” Carter said. “That’s kind of my goal all the time, or what I want people to at least see when they see me or when they hear my story. I feel inspired by that because sometimes it’s not the first thing you want that works out, but it’s what comes after that.”
Derek Futterman is an associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, email Derek@BarrettMedia.com or find him on X @derekfutterman.
