Robin Roberts on telling Pat Summitt’s story in new documentary: ‘People need to know’

The story of Pat Summitt, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer best known for coaching women’s basketball at the University of Tennessee, has been told in many ways. This time, it’s being brought to life through a documentary directed by Dawn Porter and produced by Robin Roberts’ production company, Rock’n Robin Productions. With an impact that has been felt for decades, Roberts explains why now is the right time to share Summitt’s story in this way.

“People need to know,” she tells ABC Audio. “People are excited about the WNBA, March Madness, Unrivaled, they need to know that it might not have happened [were] it not for someone like Pat Summitt. So just to give a history lesson to folks, I think that is the right time to do it.”

“It is March Madness, it is Women’s History Month. It’ll be 10 years in June that she passed away from Alzheimer’s,” she continues. “So I think it was the perfect storm in giving her her flowers.”

Breaking Glass: The Pat Summitt Story, streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+, chronicles Pat’s journey from her humble upbringing on a Tennessee dairy farm to her record-setting career at the University of Tennessee, where she won 1,098 games and eight national championships. The film offers an in-depth look at both the challenges she faced, and the lasting impact she made on and off the court.

With so much ground to cover, Dawn says the responsibility she felt in telling Pat’s story grew as she learned more about her, but she was fortunately met with support from her family, ESPN, the University of Tennessee and more. 

Her goal was to understand why Pat was so deeply loved. What she learned: “Pat saw everybody as people and I think she was really, really instrumental in making that a unified experience where everybody was welcome.” 

The film will premiere Sunday on ESPN2 and April 5 on ESPN.

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