NEW YORK (AP) — Doug Feinberg, an Associated Press Basketball Writer who has covered the women’s game for nearly 20 years, has been chosen for the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
Feinberg joined the AP in 1995 and has covered women’s hoops since 2006, including oversight of the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll. He’ll cover his 17th women’s Final Four this year and has also covered five Olympic tournaments and four women’s World Championships and World Cups.
“For me, the thing about Doug that stands out alongside his immersive coverage of women’s basketball is the care and joy he takes in doing it,” said Dave Zelio, an assistant sports editor for the AP who oversees college sports. “He loves the sport, loves the athletes and the coaches and that leads to good and thoughtful journalism.”
Coaches and players throughout pro, college and international women’s basketball have recognized Feinberg’s passion for the sport and trusted him to tell their stories. His coverage of Brittney Griner’s 10-month imprisonment in Russia was AP Sports’ Story of the Year in 2022. He joined the New York Liberty in 2023 for a cross-country trek to highlight the challenges players like 6-foot-4 Breanna Stewart faced on commercial flights and has highlighted pay disparities between men’s and women’s referees. On Tuesday, the AP published Feinberg’s story on six members of Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Academy team that are now playing college basketball five years after Bryant’s shocking death.
Feinberg has been there for women’s basketball’s biggest moments — including Morgan William’s Final Four OT jumper in 2017 that ended UConn’s 111-game winning streak.
Zelio noted Feinberg’s longtime ownership and shepherding of the AP Top 25 poll, which was begun by Hall of Famer Mel Greenberg of the Philadelphia Inquirer in the late 1970s, and singled out AP’s annual honors for athletes and coaches.
“Doug started a tradition for AP where he asks the All-America players to do a bit of video and it is wonderful every time because they have so much fun with it,” Zelio said. “Doug’s deep relationships with teams has also allowed us to get behind-the-scenes video of players like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers being surprised by being named player of the year.”
The USBWA announced its seven-member class Monday night. Feinberg will be honored during this year’s Final Four in Tampa, Florida. He’s the second AP writer elected to the hall, joining longtime coworker Jim O’Connell, who was inducted in 2002.
Feinberg received the Mel Greenberg Media Award in 2018 from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association for advancing the role of the media in promoting women’s hoops. He is also an assistant girls basketball coach and head track and field coach at The Dalton School in New York.
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