ESPN is making another shake-up to its top NBA broadcast crew. Doris Burke, who became the first woman to serve as a game analyst during a championship series in one of the four major North American sports back in 2023, has been removed from the network’s NBA Finals coverage.
The 60-year-old broadcaster worked the past two Finals alongside Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson, but ESPN announced Thursday that Tim Legler will step into that role moving forward.
Burke will now “regularly work” with Dave Pasch on NBA games, the network said in its release, confirming that while she’s been demoted from the Finals team, she will remain a fixture on national broadcasts.
Burke’s removal comes despite public support earlier this summer. When The Athletic reported in June that her spot was in jeopardy, Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle praised her while his team was still competing in the Finals.
Jefferson also showed support by wearing a shirt in her honor at the Women’s College World Series.
Even with those gestures, ESPN pressed forward with the change. The decision was made by ESPN executive vice president Mike McQuade, according to The Athletic. He reported that network chairman Jimmy Pitaro and president Burke Magnus “could have vetoed the decision, but did not.”
Burke, meanwhile, isn’t leaving the company. ESPN announced that she has signed a “multi-year” contract extension, keeping her on air even as her role shifts away from the network’s highest-profile broadcasts.
This is just the latest reshuffling of ESPN’s lead NBA team. In 2023, the network fired Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. Burke and Doc Rivers were promoted at the time, before Rivers left to return to coaching. JJ Redick then joined Breen and Burke, but departed in 2024 to coach the Los Angeles Lakers.
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