Doris Burke will have a different role at ESPN when the NBA Finals begin next year. The Worldwide Leader in Sports demoted Burke from its No. 1 team and elevated Tim Legler.
A press release from ESPN revealed Burke will still call “high-profile” games, including the “Sunday Showcase” series, but her assignments won’t include the NBA Finals. Burke will regularly work alongside play-by-play voice Dave Pasch.
In June, The Athletic reported that changes could be coming to the network’s broadcast and Burke wasn’t guaranteed to return to her role.
ESPN has struggled to find a strong top NBA broadcast since Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were fired in 2023. Doc Rivers was brought in but he left when he was named the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. JJ Redick had a short stint with the network until he left to become the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Burke has been part of NBA Finals coverage for the past two seasons. The 60-year-old made history in 2024 when she became the first woman to call any major U.S. men’s championship on television.
Burke has been in a full-time analyst role with ESPN for the past eight years. The longtime reporter has called NBA Finals games for ESPN Radio in the past and has done sideline reporting for the network. But she, along with the broadcast of her, Richard Jefferson and Breen, drew mixed reviews.
Legler first joined ESPN in 2000 and started to call NBA games on a regular basis in 2023.
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