Isis Young’s voice, vision and vibe are elevating the game—and everyone in it

As the lead WNBA on CBS analyst, Young’s passion runs deeper than being one of the most knowledgeable and engaging broadcasters in the game. Her enthusiasm is contagious—during broadcasts, she’s having fun, and it shows in the way she breaks down plays, shares stories, and highlights the game’s nuances from her perspective as a former Division I player.

Young, who adds the perfect blend of empathy and humility to her broadcasts, also played professionally in Germany, Greece, and Australia.

“My broadcasting style is very similar to how I played,” Young told The Next. “If you ask those who had the chance to watch me play when I played in college at Syracuse and Siena for my last year, where I was among the top 10 in the country and threes made per game, I played the game with a lot of passion because I enjoyed it.

“I came to understand, probably through injuries, that this day is not promised, so I should enjoy it. With my games, I have the same approach. I mean it. I love talking about basketball. I love the X’s and O’s. I love the energy. I joke around that my job isn’t too serious. No one’s life is in my hands. I get to talk about basketball and hopefully educate and inspire.”

Your business can reach over 3 million women’s sports fans every single month!

Here at The Next and The IX, our audience is a collection of the smartest, most passionate women’s sports fans in the world. If your business has a mission to serve these fans, reach out to our team at BAlarie@theixsports.com to discuss ways to work together.

Young’s transcendent career has soared like a rocket.

She’s been fortunate to be part of significant broadcasting moments for women’s basketball within the last four years. She was a sideline reporter for NBC’s first women’s college basketball game between Notre Dame and California on Nov. 12, 2022. Earlier this year, she served as the color analyst for CBS’ first prime-time WNBA game broadcast between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever at the United Center.

She was also part of CBS Sports Network’s studio coverage of the men’s Final Four in San Antonio. In addition, Young works with Yahoo! Sports as a basketball analyst and has served as a soccer analyst for the Big East on Fox.

“It’s just sometimes so cool to see hard work pay off in ways you don’t specifically think about,” Young said. “I remember the first time that I had a chance to be a part of a historic broadcast. It was the first-ever women’s college basketball game on NBC, and that was back in 2022 when I was a sideline reporter with LaChina Robinson and Zora Stephenson. I remember being a part of that and thinking, ‘Wow, there’s nothing I could have done to deserve this moment.’ You know, this is just the stars aligning me working with people that believe in me, taking my craft seriously, and God dropping a blessing.”

Preparation Meets Purpose

Now, through her organization, Your World Media Training, Young is determined to open doors for others just as they were opened for her while leaving a legacy of impact and empowerment. She founded the organization in 2022.

Staying humble yet hungry, Young is driven not just by personal ambition but by purpose. She’s committed to uplifting others through mentorship, advocacy, and her aspiration to become a go-to media training expert for college athletes.

Before the prime-time lights and viral clips, there were long nights, self-doubt, and flights booked on faith. But Young knew that greatness grows when you grind behind the scenes. She called soccer matches and served as a sideline reporter on women’s lacrosse broadcasts. Young also benefited from serving one year as a color analyst for the Connecticut Sun, which allowed her to build rapport with players and get an exclusive behind-the-scenes view of the intricacies of the WNBA.

Those opportunities provided a solid foundation for Young to develop her voice, earn precious repetitions, and build a quality broadcasting reel.

She recalls an early-career broadcast with Beth Mowins, where she wasn’t prepared, especially as the game turned into a blowout. The uncomfortable silence taught her more than any classroom could.

Even though the moment is now a humorous memory, that experience has fueled Young’s discipline, drive, and desire to stay prepared, regardless of how the game unfolds.  That mindset proved valuable during the Sky-Fever broadcast a few weeks ago—a game in which Caitlin Clark didn’t play but remained a central part of the narrative. CBS kept its cameras on Clark as she cheered, laughed, and high-fived teammates from the bench.  

Save 30% when you order “Becoming Caitlin Clark”

Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.

Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.

Secure your copy!

“We’re dealing with like a unicorn,” Young said of Clark. “The only comparison that I think we have of it is probably on the men’s side with LeBron James. LeBron was the first star of his kind like that. I can think of games in which LeBron didn’t play, and they show his reactions to things. It’s a storyline we care to see, or people care to know, they want to know, especially because Caitlin hadn’t missed a game during her career. Well, it was interesting just also to see a different vantage point of her on the bench.”

Young was happy with the historic broadcast, which drew 1.92 million viewers, even though Clark was out with a quad injury.

“I just wanted to make sure that as the broadcast, we reflect the product on the floor,” Young shared. “Sitting in an arena with 19,000 plus people around you screaming, and you’re getting to call a game with so many storylines, there’s nothing better. It just continues to solidify for me that I love my job. I love what I do. I love that I get to represent this sport, and I love that the game is growing to where we are making sure that these broadcasts are getting accurate coverage.”

A Broadcasting Cheat Code

In many ways, Young is a broadcasting cheat code because not only did she earn her Master’s degree from Syracuse’s renowned Newhouse School of Communication, but she was also part of the first cohort of LaChina Robinson’s Rising Media Stars in 2018 while still in college. Her classmates included Zora Stephenson, Andraya Carter, Shanteona Keys, and Sijia Liu. Being part of this program accelerated Young’s growth and enhanced her confidence as a reporter and broadcaster.

Young sharpened her skills by interviewing former Syracuse teammate and current Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes, picking up real-world insights that no graduate program could teach. She shadowed veteran reporters, studied the craft closely, and absorbed wisdom like a sponge from seasoned professionals across the media landscape—each experience shaping her voice, poise, and perspective as a rising journalist.

“I learned, and I soaked in a ton, and not just from LaChina, but from my other counterparts,” Young said. “Thankfully, I had some of the best in the industry to learn from. Our class was bomb. I would be nowhere without my mentors, but those women became sisters in different ways at different times for me, and that has also extended throughout the years of the program. There are other classes in the program where I’m closer to several people, as I may have known them before. The mentorship, learning, and sisterhood are the three things that I have to mention about that program, and it also shaped how I went forward.”

The Next, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom

The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.

It’s also helped her mindset this past year when she was a valuable member of CBS Sports Network’s studio men’s college basketball coverage, which was unique for Young. She was comfortable discussing Coastal Athletic Association men’s basketball in the same way she was talking about Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball.

More importantly, Young’s bubbly personality and key nuggets of wisdom earned her respect from viewers and colleagues. She also made people aware of critical women’s basketball games and highlights that needed to be discussed during the studio shows.  

“Basketball is basketball to me,” Young said. “So, whether it’s Hannah Hidalgo or Tyson Dagenhart. I don’t care who it is; if I like your game or the game itself, I’m going to be in it. I was certainly happy this year to cover more basketball, both men’s and women’s. It’s a different challenge to have energy in the studio. Different than the games, right? There’s no challenge in having energy in an arena with 19,000 people.

“There’s no challenge when it’s a two-point game and it’s the fourth quarter with two minutes left. But sometimes, in a studio at 2 a.m., watching the last Mountain West game, you might be struggling to find a little bit of energy on a late Thursday. Being in the studio was a goal that I set for myself very quietly. I am thankful that God blessed me with that. My relationship with CBS has been good. Covering the men’s Final Four with CBS is one of the top five highlights in my career so far.”

Confidence, color and community

Being in the studio provided Young the perfect platform to showcase her fashion sense—one that, much like her, was bright, bold, and brilliant. Vivid purples, dazzling greens, and electric pinks lit up the screen, making her impossible to miss. But it wasn’t just the colors that stood out—it was the energy in her voice, the ease in her delivery, and the confident cadence with which she added valuable insights. Style turned heads. Substance made her unforgettable.

Young’s style is intentional—not just in appearance, but in principle. She proudly supports Black-owned businesses, many of which go the extra mile with thoughtful touches, like handwritten thank-you notes. She’s also grounded in her South Jersey roots as she enjoys shopping locally. It’s a power that Young enjoys in highlighting those companies that deserve attention. She showcases and shouts out those businesses on her social media pages.

“How we walk into a room says a lot of things about us before we speak,” Young said. “For me, fashion is just an extra layer of confidence. You know, if you look good, you feel good, you play good. Now, it’s you look good, you feel good, you broadcast good. That’s how I think about it. I have worked with Black female stylists in my career. I’ve worked with several, and one thing I enjoyed was being able to pull someone else in, invest in someone who looks like me, and help them build a portfolio as well.

“I love the fact that I can support and invest in Black-owned businesses because I believe that there have been so many people who have invested in me that I could say they invested in me as a Black-owned business, and I’m therefore trying to push it back out.”

Tune in to Locked On Women’s Basketball

Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.

Listen now!

It’s one reason why she started her media training business in the summer of 2022. Knowing she wanted to make a difference and sitting in her grandmother’s living room, Young created a media training curriculum. Between her hectic announcing schedule, which included late nights in the studio, early-morning flights, and long afternoons of preparation, Young travels across the country to deliver powerful presentations designed to provide media training to athletes, coaches, and teams, as well as broadcasting coaching services for aspiring sports broadcasters.

Understanding that small gestures leave a lasting impact on others, Young took pride in creating meaningful opportunities for young people by hiring 13 independent contractors to broadcast games during a major AAU event in Albany, N.Y. This gave them valuable experience and paid work in the industry, enabling them to build a portfolio and showcase it to future employers.

It’s a full-circle moment for Young, who is only doing what’s in her heart.

She believes in treating people the way she was once treated—with encouragement, openness, and genuine care. Whether it’s offering help, being a resource, or simply listening without judgment, Young strives to be a trusted presence, which is her most powerful gift. While covering a Mystics-Lynx game in Washington for CBS Sports Network last year, Young had a mentee shadow her for the entire day—offering a firsthand glimpse at everything from pregame coaching press conferences to live game commentary and postgame responsibilities.

“The opportunity to provide some guidance and some reps for young individuals who want and take the time to invest in themselves is priceless,” Young said. “I saw myself in all of them, and I was like, yes, like, you’re hungry, and you’re humble, so let’s get to work. I have to thank LaChina for showing us the way because, as I told her, I wouldn’t have known how to do it if I hadn’t seen it on the scale that I did with her in our classroom and with five people. I am honored to do it.”

As Young continues to rise as a broadcaster, she’s making her mark as a trailblazer while simultaneously building community, elevating her career, and staying anchored in her purpose. Her passion, enthusiasm, and perseverance make Young a rare gem in a competitive field that demands heart, hustle, and the courage to make history.