Alexandra Leigh LaForce (born December 11, 1988) is an American journalist, model and beauty queen who won Miss Teen USA 2005. She is a reporter for TNT Sports, covering the NBA on TNT. She was previously the lead reporter for SEC college football games, a courtside reporter for college basketball games, and the host of We Need to Talk on the CBS Sports Network. LaForce also worked as a broadcast sports anchor and reporter for the Cleveland, Ohio, FOX affiliate WJW. She won a 2011 Emmy award for anchoring FOX 8's Friday Night Touchdown high school football show. She was Miss Teen USA in 2005, and played college basketball at Ohio University.[1]
Early life and education
LaForce is from Vermilion, Ohio. When she was a child, she played basketball, volleyball, softball, ran track and even competed in pageants.[2] She attended Ohio University and played five games her freshman year[3] under head coach Semeka Randall as a guard on the Bobcats' women's basketball team.
Career
Pageantry
LaForce began her career in pageantry after winning the Miss Ohio Teen USA 2005 title in September 2004, in her first attempt at the title. She went on to represent Ohio in the Miss Teen USA 2005 pageant held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 8, 2005. LaForce competed in the evening gown, swimsuit and final interview competitions, and was crowned Miss Teen USA 2005 by her predecessor Shelley Hennig, Miss Teen USA 2004 from Louisiana.[4] Her mother Lesa LaForce (née Rummell) was Miss Ohio USA 1977.[5]
Her winnings included a one-year modeling contract with Trump Modeling Management and a scholarship to the School for Film and Television in New York City. She also earned a guest appearance in the NBC soap operaPassions. LaForce made appearances throughout the United States, promoting causes such as drug and alcohol awareness, as well as continuing to attend high school in Ohio.[6]
LaForce worked as a sideline reporter for Sportstime Ohio during the 2010 Mid-American Conference's football season, the 2011 MAC men's basketball tournament, and the 2011 OHSAA basketball championships.[7] After college, she signed with Cleveland's Fox affiliate, WJW channel 8, as a sports anchor and reporter.[8]
In April 2014, it was announced that LaForce would replace Tracy Wolfson as the sideline reporter for the SEC on CBS.
In June 2018, it was reported that LaForce would be leaving CBS Sports after the two sides could not come to terms on a new deal. LaForce still makes occasional appearances on CBS, due to her March Madness reporting role.[9]
LaForce later signed a deal with Turner Sports to continue her role as a sideline reporter for the NBA on TNT and the NCAA Tournament. In 2022, LaForce works as a field-level reporter for MLB on TBS Tuesday Night.
Personal life
LaForce is married to MLB relief pitcher Joe Smith.[10] Their first child, a son, was born in 2022.[11]
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