Heading into the NBA Finals, ESPN could be looking at another revamp of its lead NBA broadcast team for next season.
ESPN lead NBA analyst Doris Burke is “not guaranteed” to keep her position next season, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Burke is in her second season on ESPN’s lead NBA team, but working with her third different analyst over that span — first paired with Doc Rivers, then J.J. Redick and now Richard Jefferson.
Per Marchand, Tim Legler is a possible option for a spot on the NBA Finals team, should one open up. In addition to Burke’s uncertain status, Jefferson is being pursued by Amazon Prime Video.
ESPN reportedly plans to “evaluate its entire roster” during the offseason, save for play-by-play voice Mike Breen. As part of an overhaul under executive David Roberts, ESPN laid off Breen’s longtime partners Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, hired Rivers to join Burke as their replacements, and set up a succession plan with Redick, Jefferson and Ryan Ruocco as the heirs apparent to the lead broadcast team.
The plan fell apart almost immediately when Rivers abruptly returned to coaching after mere months in TV. ESPN promoted Redick to replace him, who finished out the season but left to go coach the Lakers. With ESPN having a net loss of three NBA analysts in just two years, the network’s roster this season was so thin that it had to use college basketball analysts Jay Bilas and Corey Alexander on playoff games.
ESPN will not need as many broadcast teams next season, the first of the new NBA media rights deal that scales back the network’s regular season and playoff inventory.
