As she awaits the countdown from the production director, she exudes confidence. She is ready to talk basketball. Even though it is the early morning, she is very alert. She stands alongside her co-host as the countdown finally comes to an end. She begins to talk, and says, “Welcome to this week’s edition of Inside Stuff.”
Kristen Ledlow, 26, is one of two hosts for NBA TV’s edition of Inside Stuff that airs every Saturday at 12pm.
“Landing the gig at NBATV is my proudest moment since it has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl,” says Ledlow.
This is Ledlow’s first full season with NBA TV.
“I feel like I’m living my dream every single day,” says Ledlow. Ledlow works alongside former NBA All-Star, Grant Hill. “Working with Grant is the easiest part of this job because he is simply phenomenal when it comes to talking basketball,” says Ledlow.
Ledlow follows by saying, “Working here is incredible. From the production guys to Grant, it is like working with a dozen of big brothers.”
Hill also thinks highly of Ledlow, and says he relishes every opportunity he gets to work alongside her.
“It is a blast. She is a total professional, has great energy and is a lot of fun to work with. Makes my job so much easier,” says Hill.
During the production of the show, Ledlow and Hill posses a nice flow.
“From the first audition, it felt natural. She makes it easy to work with her and the chemistry really has been there from the get go. She really allows me to be better at my craft,” says Hill.
But before Ledlow’s stint began at NBA TV, her love for basketball came early on in her life. “In middle school, when Michael Jordan retired the first time I saw a woman standing in the press conference room as a sports reporter asking Jordan a specific question regarding his unexpected departure from the NBA game and that is when I realized that, that was something I could see myself doing,” says Ledlow.
Ledlow also played basketball all the way up to her tenure in college.
“I played basketball my entire life with my recent playing days being at Southeastern University so it is one of my strong suits.”
At Southeastern University, Ledlow really solidified sports talk as the one thing she wanted do once she graduated.
“After my game, I would quickly shower and cover the men’s game as the lead broadcaster,” says Ledlow.
Ledlow has the voice and the persona to fit the mold for both television and radio.
“For me, expressing myself comes natural because as a little girl I always wanted my mom to video tape me,” says Ledlow.
Ledlow takes pride in being at her best in front of the camera.
“I would like to think I’ve always been comfortable in front of a camera, but the fact that I know my stuff makes my confidence level just increase that much more,” says Ledlow.
Success comes with a lot of expectations, but for Ledlow success helps her to better balance her life on both the air and television. Ledlow values the idea of never losing herself no matter how much success comes her way.
“It is important to be the same person on and off the camera and radio. I talk trash and have fun because that’s who I am, but everybody doesn’t get paid to talk sports so I do not take it for granted and never will,” says Ledlow.
Adding to her success, Ledlow has been with Atlanta Sports Radio 92.9, The Game, for almost a year. “This show is a lot of fun, I’m learning a lot, and it helps that Atlanta is such a great city for sports fans,” says Ledlow. Ledlow is one of three hosts on the show, with the other two being Jason Bailey and Randy Cross. “My favorite part of the show is being in the middle of SEC football country,” says Ledlow.
Ledlow loves radio and television for different reasons. “I love the freedom I get on the air to go in-depth and talk trash in radio and for television I appreciate the opportunity I get to tell coaches and player’s stories about the game that they are a part of,” says Ledlow.
“The hardest part of my job at the station and being on television is just being tired all the time, maintaining a busy schedule, and preparing for the many sacrifices that must be made in order to sustain success,” says Ledlow.
Ledlow not only wants to be heard, but wants to make an impact as well. “As a woman in the sports industry, there is no room to mess up. I take pride in not just being a pretty face, but actually being good at my craft. I want to be an influence for all the little girls out there that want to be a part of the sports industry some day,” says Ledlow.
“I’ll be ready when that opportunity comes. But until then I’m just enjoying the ride, and soaking it all in while I wait to see what God has next for me.”
