Rebecca Lobo hosting ESPN WNBA Draft coverage in April 2022. New York, NY – April 11, 2022 – Spring Studios: Rebecca Lobo on the set of the 2022 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm. (Photo by Kelly Backus / ESPN Images)
By Arthur Weinstein on

Rebecca Lobo apparently doesn’t think much of Albany, New York.

After Monday night, many Albany residents probably don’t think much of Lobo, as the former basketball star and now ESPN color analyst threw the city under the bus late in Iowa’s win over LSU in the New York state capital.

With less than a minute remaining and the Hawkeyes leading by 11, the ESPN broadcast showed Iowa star Caitlin Clark’s family. Play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco noted that Clark had said her family had asked her what they could do before the game.

According to Ruocco, Clark told her family, “Just go find something to do in Albany, I’m staying in my room and just waiting for the game.”

“By the way, good luck finding something to do in Albany,” Lobo said, laughing heartily.

It was the ultimate unforced error in the broadcast booth. Lobo, possibly fishing for something to talk about in a game that had already been decided, tossed off a one-liner that might be funny among friends, but she probably realized the minute the Albany diss left her mouth that it had been a mistake.

Some of Albany’s leading citizens quickly stepped forward to tell Lobo she’d been wrong. Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan offered to give the ESPN analyst a guided tour.

“There’s plenty to do if you take the time to look — some of the nation’s oldest museums, a stately Capitol, award-winning restaurants, and a basketball game or two downtown,” Sheehan tweeted. “@RebeccaLobo, let’s take a ride before you leave town. Happy to show you all there is to see and do.”

Oddly enough, Lobo’s diss could provide the city a promotional boost. Discover Albany retweeted an Awful Announcing post, saying “There are plenty of things to do in Albany @RebeccaLobo ! Check out our website and events calendar for more: https://albany.org/things-to-do/

L0bo responded to the furor a couple of hours later with a post on X, noting, “I’ve spent many fun-filled weekends in the Albany area over the years coaching my kids’ AAU teams. No shade intended towards the capital city and the outstanding job they did hosting the regional.”

As you might imagine, the initial reaction from Albany residents was fast and furious. Even fans from elsewhere thought Lobo’s comment was, as one X user put it, a “Low-Blow.”

In an interesting coincidence, Lobo’s Albany reference was the second time in the second half the ESPN broadcast crew turned a city in upstate New York into a viral moment on social media. Early in the second half, after Clark nailed a long-range shot, Ruocco called, “Clark… Oh my! From Schenectady!” That city’s about 20 miles northwest of Albany.

[@awful announcing]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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