Hall of Fame writer Jackie MacMullan, one of the great sportswriters and pioneers for women that cover the NBA, has announced her retirement from ESPN on Wednesday.
The decision will take effect at the end of this month.
MacMullan, 60, has worked for ESPN since 2010, primarily as a senior writer and a staple on shows such as “Around the Horn” and “The Jump.”
Her final appearance on “Around the Horn” is set for August 31 at 5 PM ET.
“I feel fortunate to have collaborated with so many incredibly talented people during my 10+ years at ESPN,” she said in a statement.
“Sometimes you just know when you’re ready to dial it back, and this is the right time for me. I’m grateful for the memories, but especially for the friends I’ve made along the way.”
MacMullan was a Division I basketball player at the University of New Hampshire before beginning her 40-year career as a reporter.
She began as an intern at The Boston Globe in 1982 and remained with them until 2008.
She was the beat reporter for the Boston Celtics during their championship years in the 198os and became the newspaper’s first female columnist.
MacMullan also covered the New England Patriots dynasty years, all four major sports championships, and the Olympics.
She collaborated with NBA legends Larry Bird and Magic Johnson for the New York Times bestseller “When the Game Was Ours.”
Her works also include biographies with Shaquille O’Neal and UConn Women’s basketball icon coach Geno Auriemma.
“Jackie Mac” was a part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2010 as the first woman in history to receive the Curt Gowdy Media Award.
“Jackie is a trailblazer not because she was one of the first women covering sports or the NBA. Rather, Jackie is a trailblazer because people talked about her without mentioning sex or gender,” ESPN senior deputy editor Cristina Daglas said in Wednesday’s news release.
“It was about the work, an incredible catalogue of work, that has appeared on every ESPN platform. Simply put, Jackie is one of the greatest journalists ESPN has ever seen. And she did it all while providing mentorship to both editors and writers, ensuring whether she meant to or not, that pieces of her will remain here long after she exits.”
The Ringer hired MacMullan to host a narrative NBA podcast in September 2020.
There was no mention of her retiring from that position.