A trio of Long Beach legends will be adding their flair and expertise to the NBC Sports coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Long Beach Poly’s Snoop Dogg will be a special correspondent while Long Beach State’s Misty May-Treanor and Wilson’s Tony Azevedo will be analysts during beach volleyball and water polo games, respectively.
Snoop Dogg, 52, is so much more than just a world-famous rapper and he is back with NBC after providing plenty of viral clips in 2021 during the “Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg” show on Peacock. Their commentary on equestrian dressage was particularly popular, so fans can expect more of that.
“Let’s elevate, celebrate, and make these games unforgettable, smoke the competition, and may the best shine like gold,” Snoop Dogg said in a NBC Sports press release. “Peace and Olympic LOVE, ya dig?”
Snoop Dogg will also have the distinct honor of carrying the Olympic flame on Friday alongside French actress Laetitia Casta and French rapper MC Solaar. They will carry the 67th and last leg of the flame’s joinery through the streets of Saint-Denis before arriving at the Seine. The final torchbearer who will take the flame from Snoop and light the Olympic cauldron is a surprise as part of the Opening Ceremony.
May-Treanor, a three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist, is making her Olympics debut as a commentator alongside play-by-play announcer Chris Marlowe and fellow analyst Kevin Wong. Last month, May-Treanor came to a Long Beach Century Club meeting to talk about her trip to Paris. The Long Beach Century Club actually helped May-Treanor raise money for her first professional beach volleyball events after leaving LBSU.
“It’s going to be fun (in Paris) but this is where I got my start so it’s always nice to come home,” May-Treanor said of Long Beach where she won NCAA National Championships at LBSU.
May-Treanor, 46, also talked to the club about how athletes nowadays are different, and more concerned with anxiety than they need to be.
“If you’re a player who gets wrapped up with what the score is you can start to lose it,” May-Treanor said. “I never kept score and I think that’s what (Olympic partner Kerry Walsh) and I did very well. We were very yin and yang. I had a poker face and she wore her emotions on her sleeve.”
May-Treanor also took a moment to recount their first gold medal victory during a rainstorm at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“We woke up that day and it would’ve been easy for us to say, ‘How are we going to play?’ but as soon as you say that your mind shuts off,” she said. “So we said, ‘This is a great day to win.’ The only thing I would’ve changed is probably not to pick white (bathing) suits.”
“I think you have to be grateful every day for the situation you’re in. You have a choice on which way your attitude can take you. If you try to find positivity in things your days end up being better.”
Tony Azevedo, 42, is also making his Olympics debut as a commentator for water polo. The Wilson alum is a five-time Olympian (2000-16) who helped Team USA win a silver medal in 2008. He has won everywhere he’s played so everyone knows Azevedo will be dedicated to his new craft. He won four CIF championships at Wilson, two NCAA National Championships at Stanford, and ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list in Olympic history.
