South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley will be taking her talents to CBS Sports, with the network announcing Wednesday that the basketball legend will headline a new WNBA pregame show premiering this weekend.
Hosted by sports reporter Sarah Kustok, WNBA Tip Off will feature both the decorated South Carolina boss and fellow former WNBA star Renee Montgomery as analysts.
In addition to her lengthy playing and coaching resume, Staley will bring specific insight into particular athletes during these broadcasts, with nine of the icon's former players — from reigning three-time MVP A'ja Wilson to 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston — competing in the WNBA this season.
Staley's involvement also spotlights CBS's commitment to live WNBA broadcasts, with the network scheduling WNBA Tip Off slots for four of the network's eight regular-season league games.
WNBA Tip Off will debut at 7:30 PM ET this Saturday, serving as the lead-in to the Sky's primetime matchup against regional rival Indiana Fever — the first WNBA game ever set inside Chicago's United Center and the first-ever primetime WNBA regular-season game on broadcast television.
The other three games featuring Staley and her new CBS pre-game crew will be the July 12th clash between 2025 expansion side Golden State Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces, a second Fever vs. Sky matchup on August 9th, and a 2024 WNBA Finals rematch between the reigning champion New York Liberty and runners-up Minnesota Lynx on August 16th.
CBS is bringing UEFA Champions League (UWCL) action to the US next season, with the network announcing Saturday that it has acquired the European Championship tournament's exclusive broadcast rights through the 2029/30 campaign.
Ending with English side Arsenal lifting their first UWCL trophy in 18 years, last weekend's Champion's League final was the competition's last match in its a four-year international media deal with streamer DAZN.
Starting next season, however, CBS will air all 75 Champions League matches live across Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, and the CBS Sports Golazo Network.
"CBS Sports is proud to be the home of all women's and men's UEFA club competitions through the end of the decade," said CBS Sports' EVP of programming Dan Weinberg.
Further aligning with the men's tournament, the post-qualifiers Champions League competition will grow from 16 to 18 teams in 2025/26, while also transitioning from a group stage play-in to a single-league standings format.
"As the competition embarks on an exciting new era, we look forward to CBS Sports delivering its dynamic and insightful coverage to American audiences, showcasing the highest level of women's club football in its new format over the next five seasons," said Guy-Laurent Epstein, managing director at UC3, the commercial entity uniting UEFA and the European Club Association.