Longtime ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters is set to return to her usual role with the network’s coverage of the NBA Finals.
ESPN has announced that Salters will return from her three-game absence for Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
Salters was the sideline reporter for Game 1 before Jorge Sedano filled in for her for the next three games of the series. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported at the time that Salters was dealing with a “personal matter.”
During Game 2, ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Breen revealed that Salters had taken some time away from her sideline reporter duties while her mother dealt with a serious health issue.
Sedano is typically the sideline reporter for ESPN Radio, and he will return to that role for Game 5.
Salters has been the sideline reporter for the NBA Finals on ABC/ESPN since 2022. She began working at ESPN two decades ago. Salters has also been the sideline reporter for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” since 2012.
The Pacers and Thunder are tied 2-2 in the NBA Finals, which means the series will go at least six games.
