ESPN has demoted basketball analyst Doris Burke from its lead broadcast team just months after she called her second NBA Finals.
In announcing its NBA broadcast plans for the upcoming season, ESPN said Thursday that Tim Legler would be joining its lead team of play-play-play announcer Mike Breen, analyst Richard Jefferson and reporter Lisa Salters. It also said that team would also be calling next June's NBA Finals on ABC, along with the conference finals and other high-profile games during the playoffs and regular season.
The Athletic first reported Burke’s move out of her NBA Finals role.
ESPN did announce a multi-year contract extension for Burke, who will work with play-by-play voice Dave Pasch next season calling games throughout the regular season and playoffs. With this new deal, Burke’s tenure at ESPN will extend more than 35 years.
The network also announced a new multi-year deal for Jefferson. Salters' contract was previously extended.
The Athletic was also the first to report in June that Burke's spot on the finals' announcing team was not guaranteed. That story led to an outpouring of support for Burke on social media and a public one from Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who addressed the Burke rumors prior to Game 1 of the series between Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
"She has changed the game for women in broadcasting,” Carlisle said. “Doris is a great example of courage and putting herself out there. It was just so sad to see the reports leaked, really unnecessarily, before such a celebrated event. Doris is a friend. I’ve asked her many times, when is she getting into coaching, because she has such great knowledge. There are many women who she’s paved the way for.”
It didn't stop there. After Game 1, Jefferson wore a “My Favorite Broadcaster is Doris Burke” T-shirt while being interviewed on the SEC Network at the Women's College World Series.
Burke joined ESPN in 1990 and has covered the NBA Finals in one capacity or another since 2009. She was a sideline reporter for ABC’s coverage from 2009-19 before serving as an analyst on ESPN Radio for the next four finals.
Burke became the first woman to serve as a game analyst on TV for a championship final in one of the four major professional U.S. sports leagues during the 2024 NBA Finals.
Burke has been a mentor to many female analysts and announcers. She was honored with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2018, which is given annually for outstanding contributions to basketball through the media.
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ESPN announcers Doris Burke works before an NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Wednesday, March 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth, File)
