Get to know ‘Huuuge Fan’ host & basketball analyst LaChina Robinson

If the phrase “for the love of the game” was a person, it would be LaChina Robinson. The experienced college women’s basketball analyst doesn’t just talk shop, she also has the skill to back it up as a former Wake Forest Demon Deacon ranked third in school history for blocks and 15th for rebounds. And above all else, she’s a fan.

Learn more about Robinson and her star-studded podcast, Huuuge Fan — a must-listen for any sports enthusiast — as the show returns with new bi-weekly episodes. Starting in June, you’ll hear Robinson speak with special guests like actress Elisabeth Moss on the Cubs, Impractical Jokers’ Brian Quinn on the Yankees, The Daily Show‘s Jordan Klepper on Michigan football and more.

Finding her place

As a 6’4″ 14-year-old, Robinson admitted to Double G Sports that she often felt self conscious anywhere but the court. Once she started playing (after a short brush with cheerleading), basketball took her to new heights, not just in terms of confidence, but also experience. Robinson would go on to become an AAU member in high school and earn a basketball scholarship to Wake Forest University, where she started in 95 of the 112 games that she played in her four years on the team.

Calling the shots

Robinson serves as an analyst for ESPN’s WNBA and College Women’s Basketball coverage, while also hosting espnW’s podcast Around The Rim, which was chosen as one of the best sports podcasts of 2017 by Sports Illustrated. On Huuuge Fan, Robinson shines a spotlight on the action off the court by conversing with some of sports’ most famous, enthusiastic fans about their favorite teams.

Advocating for women in sports

In 2018, Robinson co-founded Rising Media Stars, a mentor training program for women of color that want to work in sports broadcasting. In that same year, Robinson was the recipient of the Dawn Staley Excellence in Broadcasting Award, which aims to honor broadcasting professionals who excel in their profession while bringing visibility and prominence to women sports. More recently, Robinson was awarded the 2021 Mel Greenberg Media Award by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

“I take mentoring very seriously because I know firsthand how important a coach can be to the development of a young woman’s confidence,” Robinson told Double G Sports. “Coaches are also often the first people to verbalize confidence in a young person’s ability to be successful, which helps them to realize their own potential success.”

Fueling fandom

Since debuting Huuuge Fan in December 2020, Robinson has been digging deep into the fan journeys of pop-culture icons, sports figures, personalities and beyond, including Mel C. of the Spice Girls tackling Liverpool F.C., Tim McGraw sharing his enthusiasm for the LSU Tigers, The Office’s own chili champion Brian Baumgartner covering the Green Bay Packers, Hamilton star Anthony Ramos raving about the New York Nets and many more.

“I got into basketball because I saw Jason Kidd play on TV. I would just see highlights of him, and I was like, ‘Yo, I love the way this guy plays the game.’ And naturally, I just rooted for the team he was playing for,” Ramos recalled.