Maria Taylor, Rachel Nichols and Doris Burke will each have different roles on this year’s NBA Finals than originally planned. Plus: no Tom Jackson on NFL Primetime this year and more.
Taylor to host NBA Finals, Nichols on sidelines, Burke on radio
ESPN officially announced Wednesday that the Maria Taylor-hosted NBA Countdown will precede ABC’s NBA Finals games, a shift from the original, pre-hiatus plan to have Rachel Nichols’ The Jump occupy the pregame slot. Taylor, who at 33 would be the youngest NBA Finals host on record, has previously hosted ESPN’s Women’s Final Four coverage.
As previously noted, NBA Countdown will remain in New York for the finals.
Instead of serving as pregame host, Nichols is scheduled to move into a sideline reporter role for the NBA Finals and Eastern Conference Finals, including hosting the series’ respective trophy presentations. Doris Burke, who usually handles those roles, is shifting to ESPN Radio as an analyst for both series.
Burke is filling a vacancy left by Hubie Brown, who did not travel to the NBA “bubble” in Florida. She would be the first woman to serve as an analyst on the conference finals or finals. [ESPN PR 9.9]
Tom Jackson skipping Primetime, with Booger McFarland as replacement
ESPN NFL analyst Tom Jackson, who came out of retirement last year to rejoin ESPN’s rebooted NFL Primetime alongside longtime partner Chris Berman, is skipping the coming season due to concern about COVID-19. He will be replaced by Booger McFarland.
Jackson missed time during last season due to an Achilles injury and was replaced by Ryan Clark. [ESPN PR 9.9]
Plus: CBS NFL plans, Are You Ready, Masters timeslots
CBS plans to have all of its NFL broadcasters work games on-site all season, CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said during a conference call Tuesday. … ESPN will not precede its Monday Night Football broadcasts with the Hank Williams Jr. anthem “Are You Ready For Some Football” this season, according to Sports Business Daily. The network will reportedly go with a Little Richard song instead. … CBS’ McManus said Tuesday that the final round of November’s scheduled Masters tournament will conclude at around 2:30 PM ET to accommodate the network’s 4 PM ET NFL window. [CBS PR, Sports Business Daily 9.8]
