The NBA Finals are about to tip off – Oklahoma City Thunder versus the Indiana Pacers, starting tonight, June 5th! And as we gear up for what promises to be an epic series, a lot of eyes are on the broadcast booth. ESPN’s top crew – the legendary Mike Breen, alongside Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson – is set to call the championship. But hold up, because just as the biggest games of the season are about to get underway, word on the street is that Doris Burke, a true icon of basketball broadcasting, might be on her way out from ESPN’s lead team.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported that while ESPN “intends on re-signing” Richard Jefferson, whose contract is expiring, “Burke’s spot is not guaranteed for next season, according to sources familiar with ESPN’s preliminary plans.” Marchand adds that while Mike Breen, a Hall of Famer with a long-term deal, isn’t going anywhere, “ESPN will evaluate its entire roster.” This evaluation is critical, as ESPN looks to solidify its broadcast team, especially with the recent acquisition of the “Inside the NBA” crew for future broadcasts.
So, what’s fueling this uncertainty around a broadcasting legend like Doris Burke? Marchand’s reporting points to a couple of key factors. A significant part of the discussion within ESPN will reportedly center on “if they feel Burke is better on a two-person team as opposed to the three-person team.” There’s a sense that the chemistry in the current three-person setup with Breen and Jefferson hasn’t fully clicked. Marchand noted that in this booth, Burke “hasn’t seemed to mesh as well with Breen. He doesn’t outright ignore what she says, but they rarely build on each other’s comments.” For a lead broadcast, that seamless flow and interaction are absolutely crucial, especially on the NBA’s biggest stage.
Adding to the complexity are some on-air moments during these playoffs where Burke’s commentary drew considerable backlash. There was the instance where she referred to MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a “free-throw merchant,” a comment that many fans and critics deemed disrespectful.
Moreover, during a Thunder-Timberwolves game on May 27th, when Rudy Gobert (who’s French) dunked over Isaiah Hartenstein (who has German heritage), Burke quipped, “I don’t know much about history, but I know the French and German don’t like one another… Rudy says, ‘Bonjour, Mr. Hartenstein!’ Have a little bit of that left-handed dunk!“ That kind of World War II-esque joke didn’t land well with a lot of viewers.
And it looks like they might have someone waiting in the wings. Multiple reports suggest that longtime ESPN analyst Tim Legler could be a serious option for the Finals booth. Apparently, some of ESPN’s top decision-makers really like Legler. And you can see why. Legler isn’t flashy, but he’s incredibly smart, clear, and respected. In fact, he’s been a rock-solid presence on ESPN’s NBA coverage for nearly two decades, and if there was ever a time to give him the top spot, this might be it.
But let’s not forget, this is Doris Burke we’re talking about – an absolute Hall of Famer (she snagged the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018!). She smashed barriers in 2023, becoming the first woman to ever be a TV analyst for a major American men’s championship. But now, as Doris Burke gets ready to call these 2025 NBA Finals, there’s definitely a bit of a question mark hanging over her future with ESPN’s top team. It’s a tricky situation, for sure.
Will the real ESPN no. 1 team please stand up? ESPN’s analyst carousel keeps spinning
Doris Burke’s uncertain future on ESPN’s top NBA crew, and Tim Legler potentially stepping in is not happening in a vacuum. This is all playing out against the backdrop of some seriously head-scratching decisions by ESPN over the past couple of years.
Remember the good old days? Mike Breen, with his iconic “Bang!”, flanked by the brilliant, coach-minded Jeff Van Gundy and the catchphrase king Mark Jackson. They had a chemistry that felt effortless. Then, in what many saw as a “Booger Mobile-level bad decision” (ouch!), ESPN blew it all up in the summer budget cuts of 2023, letting Van Gundy and Jackson go. It was a move that didn’t make a whole lot of sense then, and honestly, it still doesn’t.
What followed, as rightly pointed out by Andrew Marchand, has been a revolving door of analysts trying to recapture that old magic alongside Breen. First, the trailblazing Doris Burke was rightfully promoted to the No. 1 team, and ESPN brought in Doc Rivers.
But Doc, after promising he wouldn’t jump back into coaching, did exactly that, taking the Milwaukee Bucks job mid-season. Breen, with his classic dry wit, even thanked Rivers “for his many weeks of service.” Next up was JJ Redick, forming a new trio with Breen and Burke. They were okay, not exactly “scintillating,” but they only had a few months to try and build chemistry. And then? Redick bolted to coach the Los Angeles Lakers.
So now, for these 2025 NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers, we’ve got the third new iteration of ESPN’s lead team in two years: Breen, Burke, and Richard Jefferson. And as Andrew Marchand reported, this might be their only Finals together.
This constant shuffling has put Breen, one of the all-time great play-by-play guys, in a tough spot. Some argue he hasn’t been able to elevate his new partners in the same way he vibed with Van Gundy and Jackson. In fact, the initial decision to fire Van Gundy and Jackson still baffles many. ESPN’s handling of the analyst spot since then has also been a bit perplexing.
They seemed to pass over Jefferson for Redick last year, and then after Redick left, they waited a long time before finally naming Jefferson as the third member of the current Finals crew, giving this new trio very little time to build chemistry before the biggest games of the year.
It all just feels like ESPN had arguably the best game booth in sports with Breen, Van Gundy, and Jackson, broke it up for reasons that still aren’t entirely clear, and now, two years later, they’re still scrambling to put something together that’s even close to that old magic. As Breen, Burke, and Jefferson call these Finals, it’s not just the championship on the line, it’s a high-profile audition for what ESPN’s top NBA broadcast will look like next year.
The post Is ESPN Firing Doris Burke? Multiple Complaints Emerge After NBA Broadcast Takes Ugly Turn During Playoffs appeared first on EssentiallySports.
