Kate Scott, the groundbreaking voice of Philadelphia 76ers, is only the second woman to serve as a full-time play-by-play announcer in NBA history, writes Emily Goulet for the Philadelphia Magazine.

Scott is still amazed at where she landed in her career.

“There’s absolutely no reason I should be here,” she said in a recent interview at the Steel Penny, a cafe in Hatboro. “I’m a chick from a small town in the middle of California. I still have to pinch myself to realize that this is real.”

The announcer remembered how distraught his fans were when her predecessor, Marc Zumoff, retired. She thought that whoever tried to replace him “is a fucking idiot, because he is a legend in Philly.”

The next day, she received a call from her agent telling her to apply for the position.

“I was like, you guys are fucking crazy,” she said. “There’s not a chance in hell that Philly and NBC are going to hire some gay chick from California.”

Still, she listened, and it was one of the best moves of her career. She is now in her third year with the organization and has received many accolades for her work.

Read more about Kate Scott in the Philadelphia Magazine.

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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on PHILADELPHIA Today in December 2023.