It wasn’t just about Doris Burke. Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content, spoke highly of the longtime analyst after she was demoted out of the top NBA booth in August and explained the rationale behind the decision in a recent podcast with The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch. “I think it was the right decision because we … Read more
ESPN has demoted Hall of Fame NBA analyst Doris Burke from its NBA Finals team and promoted longtime network commentator Tim Legler, according to The Athletic. Legler, who’s been at ESPN since 2000, will join longtime lead play-by-player Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson on the No. 1 team. Burke spent the last two years on … Read more
Richard Jefferson is finalizing an agreement with ESPN/ABC to return to his role as an NBA analyst on the top broadcasting team, according to The Athletic. With Jefferson, 45, set to return to a team that features Mike Breen, the third leg of the booth seems to be in flux. Questions remain about Doris Burke’s … Read more
Doris Burke is receiving a lot of love this weekend. While at Oklahoma City’s Devon Park on Friday for the Women’s College World Series between Texas Tech and Texas, Richard Jefferson put out an endorsement for his broadcast partner. He joined the SEC Network pregame show dressed in a “My Favorite Broadcaster is Doris Burke” … Read more
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said it was “sad” to see Wednesday’s report from The Athletic speculating on Doris Burke’s future in ESPN’s top NBA broadcasting booth before the 2025 NBA Finals tipped off. Prior to Game 1 of the Pacers-Thunder series, Carlisle began his pregame availability Thursday with a tribute to Burke, who is … Read more
ESPN NBA analyst Doris Burke ruffled some feathers during the Western Conference finals when she referred to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a “free-throw merchant” during Game 1 between the Timberwolves and Thunder. Burke got some criticism for describing the young star in that light, but during a podcast produced by ESPN PR, the NBA commentator explained … Read more
The 2025 NBA Finals could be the first and last for ESPN’s current top broadcasting trio. The future of the booth featuring longtime play-by-play voice Mike Breen and analysts Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson is up in the air, as Burke’s spot “is not guaranteed for next season” and Jefferson is on an expiring contract, … Read more
It wouldn’t be the NBA playoffs without some controversy from Golden State star Draymond Green. And broadcasters Doris Burke and Mike Breen believe he brings plenty of it on himself. Green’s latest dustup came Friday night in Game 6 of their Western Conference playoff series against the Houston Rockets, when Green was handed a Flagrant … Read more
Caitlin Clark may have only played 15 WNBA games, but the ripple effects of her regularly getting fouled hard are being felt around the basketball world. During the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Mavericks and Celtics, ESPN color commentator Doris Burke made a joke about a call on Dallas … Read more
LeBron James gave a special shoutout to Doris Burke ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The longtime ESPN broadcaster became the first woman to serve as a TV analyst for a championship final in one of the four major professional sports when the Mavericks and Celtics tipped off in Boston on Thursday. The … Read more
With Doc Rivers on the verge of potentially becoming the Bucks coach, his stay as one of the voices of the NBA Finals for ESPN may be over before it really started. It would be stinging for the network because one of the reasons ESPN, according to sources, let go of its longtime analysts, Jeff … Read more
Kenny Smith wants answers. Amid ESPN’s recent wave of layoffs, which included blowing up the long-standing NBA Finals broadcasting trio of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Marc Jackson, TNT’s “Inside the NBA” commentator wondered how the network could make such controversial changes. “I’m not really sure how they’re [ESPN] doing it. I’m not really … Read more
Perennial pot-stirrer Jason Whitlock unsurprisingly ripped ESPN’s decision to remove Mark Jackson from its No. 1 NBA broadcast in favor of Doris Burke. “I absolutely love Doris Burke,” Whitlock said on his show “Fearless.” “She does a really good job, but she is not qualified to be the No. 1 broadcaster on the NBA.” The ex-ESPN … Read more
Mike Breen called 15 NBA Finals with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. The trio were synonymous with the sport’s biggest event. But ESPN decided to end the broadcast team by firing Van Gundy in late June and Jackson on Monday. This has left Breen stunned and disappointed. “It’s sad because we really thought we … Read more
J.J. Redick is the front-runner to join ESPN’s top NBA broadcasting team alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Breen and game analyst Mark Jackson, according to Front Office Sports. Doris Burke, Richard Jefferson and Doc Rivers are also reportedly still in the mix for the job. The Post’s Andrew Marchand and Ryan Glasspiegel previously reported that Redick, Burke and … Read more
In the wake of ESPN’s executive reorg, pod hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand look into the future of ESPN, including a discussion of when ESPN will make its main channel available to cord-cutters via streaming. The hosts also dissect MLB’s move to create a local media department and talk about what that means for … Read more