“Give yourself grace to continue to learn and find yourself in the midst of it, and the rest will come.”
A violin master at the age of 17, a formerly developed bodybuilding hobby, and an avid collector of socks and coffee mugs, Meghan Hall is here to stay.
Before her insane rise in sports journalism, Hall dreamed of being a high-ranking marketing executive. She has since climbed the ranks of Women’s basketball media and has catapulted herself into undeniable success.
Hall is a journalist and reporter for USA TODAY’s For The Win. She’s an expert on storytelling in the WNBA and Women’s College basketball year-round.
If you’ve sent a text about women’s basketball to your friends, she’s probably written about it. CBA negotiations are tirelessly taking over her workload right now. Hall loves to educate people, whether you’re a rookie follower of basketball or you’ve been a fan for several years.
In her childhood, whether she knew it or not, Hall always knew she would be a credentialed sports journalist.
“Growing up, I thought secretly that it would be a cool job, but I never saw myself doing it. It was a fleeting thought.”
So, she did what everyone and their childhood dreams would do and went to school for business. Hall jumped into a career in marketing, lacking satisfaction and passion within herself.
Her True Passion
“I wasn’t feeling fulfilled at my last job. Through some conversations with a career coach, family, and friends, I was like Okay, I have an opportunity to do something different here.”
She quickly realized that talking and writing about sports was her true passion. She would go on to talk to people (some friends already in the industry), and next thing you know, she’s sitting at the Black Sports Business Symposium in her city of Atlanta.
“Some of the biggest names in the industry were there, but one conversation spoke to me, and it was with Maria Taylor, and she said it’s okay to go left when all your life, you’ve been wanting to go right.”
That inspired her to go for it. After applying for jobs like crazy, networking, podcasting and even doing some freelancing at Atlanta Dream games, she got an email from USA Today.
In September 2023, she was hired.
Hall admires many people in the sports media space, but there are two women in particular that she enjoys watching as a fan.
“Andraya Carter, man, she’s just fantastic. She’s so good in terms of breaking down game film. She breaks it down in a way that’s easy to understand. I admire that.”
She emphasized Doris Burke and her dedication, and becoming one of the pioneer women in the NBA.
“She’s withstood a lot of ups and downs of being a woman in the NBA, particularly in a male-dominated field and that’s not easy.”
Student of the Game
The admiration for Andraya Carter goes further. Hall explained the desire to learn the game, highlighting the importance of breaking down the Xs and Os.
“If I’m watching someone, I enjoy the way that they break something down. I’m trying to get better at breaking down film in general, so I enjoy listening to former players.” Hall even got to meet Carter. “She’s super fantastic, we talked about our careers and what we want to do and she’s just super cool and a wonderful person.”
The only impressive thing that’s happened in my life involving Andraya Carter is that she liked my WNBA Lead post. Hopefully, one day I’ll have the honor to talk about my career with her.
Adjusting to a New Career
Being a rookie in a new job can be difficult. Hall gives a ton of credit to her fellow employees at USA TODAY’s For The Win, helping her hone in on her craft as a journalist and a professional.
“Shoutout to Alex McDaniel, who hired me. She was the managing editor at the time. Charles Curtis, who is my current editor, and the entire editing and writing staff are phenomenal. They helped me be myself and write and create in my voice.”
Hall gave another shoutout to a former player she saw at a “Women in TV” event, in appreciation for helping her trajectory as a journalist.
“Ice Brady was there and one of the things she talked about was just bringing energy. This really kind of resonated with me, because Ice is the same, whether she’s calling a game or at an event, she’s always her energetic self. This made me realize— just be yourself. That’s what has helped me succeed.”
Showing Her Worth
Remarkably, in her short tenure at USA Today, she has risen exponentially in content creation, impactful writing, and high-profile interviews with women’s basketball stars. As I was preparing for my interview with Hall, I enjoyed listening to her interviews with the likes of Caitlin Clark and Breanna Stewart.
One approach that I paid close attention to and admired was that when she interviewed, she asked fun and lighter, non-basketball questions. For example, she asked Clark about LSU basketball star and rapper Flaujae Johnson putting her in a song and Clark’s Values in life.
Hall explained the importance of talking to players, as more than just players on the basketball court.
“I’m trying to get to know them— add some color to them. In Caitlin’s case, we used a lot of fun questions because she gave great answers, and it made for a great interview. Another example would be my interview at the All-Star weekend with Breanna Stewart. I asked if her kids ever style her and that got a really fun answer out of her.”
2024 Final four, Draft, and a Violin?
I wanted to use the same approach in this exclusive interview as Hall does in her interviews. So I asked about her coolest experiences on and off the court.
Before she knew her potential as a basketball journalist, Hall had a talent that nobody would ever expect. She played the violin at a high level.
“I was 17 years old. I played violin growing up and through high school and I got to perform at Symphony Hall, which is a prestigious place for people who play instruments and sing. It was an awesome experience and something that sticks with me to this day.”
Hall has done a great number of cool things in the basketball media space as well, but two of them stuck out above the rest. Attend a heavily loaded draft class? Check.
“2024 WNBA draft. That was my first draft. So that’s your Caitlin Clark, your Angel Reese, your Cameron Brink’s, your Rickea Jackson’s, you know, kind of a top-heavy draft class. That was a phenomenal experience.”
Even though she wrote an unholy amount of college basketball content previously, Hall surprisingly never went to a women’s college basketball game.
“It was a thrill to be able to attend the Final Four this year. Being able to sit behind South Carolina’s bench for a game, and UConn’s bench for a game, that’s the type of stuff I’ll never forget.”
2025 WNBA All-Star
I’m guessing, when Hall got approved to go to Indiana for this year’s All-Star weekend, she wasn’t expecting the festivities to be so wild, highlighted by the ‘StudBudz.’
“I didn’t realize there were so many events. So many things to do. Whether it was a podcast, an after-party, or an event. I couldn’t be at enough places at once. But I enjoyed it, we asked a variety of players unserious questions to keep it relaxing. I think it was important to get players out of their typical elements and whatnot. So that was a lot of fun.”
She’s still catching up from the exhausting three days, but she would do it all over again.
Might As Well Scout Players
Coincidentally, Hall might have the best scouting report of the season. She broke down a player that might not have the recognition yet, but will provide a spark in the league at some point.
“Naz Hillmon is a glue player. A game changer, an energy shifter. Her numbers won’t jump off the stat-sheet, but she’s going to cause a lot of chaos on the court, in terms of getting a rebound, a timely shot, a key turnover.”
The words “timely shot” speak volumes now. Shortly after our interview concluded, Naz Hillmon called game against the Dallas Wings. Hillmon also recorded 21 points, three assists, and a block in the win. Timely shot, key turnovers.
https://twitter.com/espnW/status/1950740556226699589
Love for a Spurs Great
When I ask casual fans who their favorite NBA player of all time is, most people respond with Michael Jordan or LeBron James. Not Hall.
“I’m from Texas originally, and I love Tim Duncan. He’s not considered flashy, but they call him Big Fundamental for a reason. He’s the type of guy that would go drop 25 and 10 and go home.”
Finals Pick
This WNBA season could finish multiple ways— there isn’t a clear favorite, which is amazing. Even a women’s basketball knowledge professional doesn’t know what’s going to happen, come playoff time.
“You put me on the spot with this one. I’m going to be honest with you, I cannot predict it right now. But, if you’re putting me on the spot today, I’m going to say Minnesota Lynx in 6. I think right now there is a lot of parity in the league, there isn’t a favorite like last year.”
At this moment, my choice to go to the WNBA Finals and win would be the Phoenix Mercury. Who knows what’s going to happen over the next couple of months, though. Hall is probably correct. That Naz Hillmon breakdown was perfect. Remember?
New Teams, New Players
Expansion in the women’s basketball world is the hot topic right now. The most recent expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries, is having an incredible season.
The Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire are on deck next season, and Philadelphia, Detroit, and Cleveland are all on the way in the next several years. Hall explained the potential future of the league after the expansion of five teams in as many years.
“Due to the expansion, I think teams would have to go to 15-player rosters, which would do wonders for the league. It would minimize injuries and also give the opportunity for players to develop. There is no such thing as the G League, so it will create more opportunities for players who aren’t on a roster currently. We will see what happens when Portland and Toronto get going next year.”
Experienced Advice
Hall went through her phase of learning on the fly and making it as a journalist. She gave me advice on becoming a successful sports journalist.
“Be intentional. Know what you’re going to do and do it. Be specific about what you want to do. Have goals and be you. Remain true to yourself. Nobody can do it the way that you can. Positive affirmations go a long way to get you thinking the right way.”
Hall has brought a new meaning to the journey of becoming a successful journalist. She went through the ups and downs to get to where she is now.
In regard to her marketing career, she explained, “I thought doing that would mean happiness or success. But I never stopped to ask myself if I would actually be happy or fulfilled if I got to be a VP at a company. That’s the difference in the work I do now. I loved what I did, but I’m not convinced it made me truly happy. What I do now does. I’m fulfilled.”
As she worked towards becoming the journalist she is today, she was thankful and grateful for every moment of every day. It changed her life.
“Give yourself grace to continue to learn and find yourself in the midst of it, and the rest will come.”
Meghan Hall’s career path, earlier in her life, has been filled with uncertainty and a lack of fulfillment. Now she’s become one of the leading voices in the WNBA media space.
I think she chose the right path.
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