Dwyane Wade is joining TNT. Also: ESPN is scaling back Outside the Lines just months after the retirement of Bob Ley; the Jets are upset that a comment by a mic’d up Sam Darnold aired on Monday Night Football.
Dwyane Wade joining Turner Sports
Former Miami Heat G Dwyane Wade has joined Turner Sports as an analyst. The news announced during TNT’s NBA pregame show Tuesday. Wade had been coveted by Turner and ESPN. He served as a guest studio analyst on ABC’s coverage of the 2015 NBA Finals.
Wade will serve as a studio analyst on TNT’s Tuesday night NBA coverage, working alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Candace Parker, and also make appearances during the network’s marquee events throughout the season. He will also work in the studio during CBS and Turner’s NCAA Tournament coverage.
In addition to the NBA and NCAA Tournament roles, Wade will also work on projects for Bleacher Report and other WarnerMedia (née Time Warner) platforms. [Turner Sports]
ESPN ending weekday version of Outside the Lines
ESPN is ending the weekday version of Outside the Lines effective December 20 and will replace it with a new Saturday morning edition starting January 18, the company announced Tuesday. Sports Business Daily first reported the news. The weekday OTL had been on the air since 2003.
In addition to the new Saturday morning editions, which will be hosted by Jeremy Schaap, ESPN will also air occasional primetime OTL specials and daily OTL-branded segments during SportsCenter.
The moves come just months after original OTL host Bob Ley retired from ESPN. [ESPN PR 10.22; Sports Business Daily 10.22]
Jets mad Darnold’s “ghost” comment made air
The New York Jets are upset that ESPN aired a clip of a mic’d-up QB Sam Darnold saying he was “seeing ghosts” during Monday’s game against the Patriots. According to ESPN.com, NFL Films has veto power over which clips can be used during broadcasts and approved ESPN airing the comment during its Monday Night Football game. [ESPN.com 10.22]
