Chasing the Story: Gary Washburn’s Path in Sports Journalism
By Clint Mintzer

  Gary Washburn’s rise from a kid pretending to call games to a respected NBA reporter shows that telling great sports stories takes sacrifice, honesty, and the courage to follow your dream wherever it leads.

  Gary Washburn still remembers sitting on his living room couch as a kid, turning down the volume of his TV so he could pretend to be calling the games as a sports broadcaster. When he was growing up, he would watch NFL games and saw Bryant Gumbel, a Black reporter, down on the field talking about the game. Being a Black man himself, this inspired him to be in sports broadcasting.

  Years later, Gary Washburn is now one of the most successful NBA journalists in the country. Washburn has spent the last 15 years at the Boston Globe, where he has reported on everything from the NBA Finals to the Olympics and the World Series. But his journey didn’t start under bright lights or with a glamorous job.

  Gary Washburn’s journey began at UC Berkeley, where he decided to chase the voice in his head telling him his dream could come true. As a junior, Gary decided to try to do something that he wanted to do for a living. So he joined the school newspaper. That’s how his career got started.

  From there, it was about sacrifice and hard work. Washburn described what young journalists have to be prepared for: going wherever the job takes them—even if it means moving far away from home.

  “You always gotta work hard to keep your job and you always want to satisfy your reader,” Washburn said in an interview with USC’s Sports Journalism Class. “It really comes down to how much you want to sacrifice in your life to get the best story.”

  It's that commitment, Washburn believes, that separates those who make it from those who don’t. And telling the best story means you have to get the information right 100% of the time. In a world where people want news instantly because of social media, you don’t have 20 minutes to fact-check anymore. You can’t be 60% right about the information—you have to be 100% right.

  That attention to detail has helped Washburn build strong relationships with players and coaches. Washburn, who covers the Boston Celtics, believes that the job isn’t just about what happens on the court—it’s about building trust off the court too.

  That also means putting fandom aside. Washburn grew up a Lakers fan and idolized Magic Johnson, but he’s clear-eyed about the line between fan and reporter. Even if you really like a player you're interviewing, you need to be professional with them. He knows it can be hard not to root for someone you’ve come to admire personally—but it’s a reporter's job to stay fair and honest, no matter what.

  Washburn knows that sports stories are more than just scores. Some of his favorite moments in sports come from telling stories that most people overlook—especially when covering the Olympics. He has seen some of the world’s biggest stars, but it’s the lesser-known athletes that stick with him.

  “I like covering the small athletes from small countries who will probably never win a gold medal but have such a unique story,” he said. “How hard they worked to get there, that’s what I love.”

  He has also seen the industry change dramatically. Social media now allows athletes to break their own news, making reporters less central in that process. Athletes are also more cautious about what they say publicly, knowing that everything is being recorded. And in college sports, Washburn believes the new NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals have shifted things in a concerning direction—players now jump to whatever school offers the most money, rather than staying loyal to one program.

  Even after decades in the business, Washburn still lives for the next big story. But he also knows how to take a break. In the offseason, he travels, collects sports memorabilia, and spends time with family—a reminder that while journalism might be his passion, it’s not his whole life.

  For aspiring sports journalists, Washburn's message is simple: be ready to work hard, go the extra mile, and never stop telling stories that matter.