The network’s lead NBA broadcast team has been in flux for more than a year after ESPN decided to fire their long-running Finals analyst Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson as part of last summer’s layoffs.
They first added Doc Rivers and elevated Burke to join Breen. After months of service at the network, Rivers broke his promise to remain with ESPN when he took the Milwaukee Bucks’ head-coach job.
ESPN then turned to JJ Redick, who has been a rising media star as a podcaster, studio analyst and then on games. After the Finals, he left ESPN to become the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Those departures had ESPN considering two other former Duke stars. Hill, 51, is currently under contract with TNT Sports, where he is on the lead Final Four team with Ian Eagle and Bill Raftery. Hill also does broadcast work on NBA games and has several outside business interests.
https://x.com/andrewmarchand/status/1829556132408328282?s=46&t=BPOCzlMnie9QX3i9mnMaQw
by horseshoeoverlook
49 Comments
I feel like they’re only still committed to Doris because moving forward without her there would look bad.
It also seems like a job they don’t want to invest in considering most of these names are just recycling other people in the ESPN ecosystem
Their A team always has a weak link.
It won’t happen for a while but they need to replace Doris as well. She rarely makes any astute observations, can’t really talk X’s & O’s, and isn’t funny or entertaining.
Honestly like all 4 of those. Bilas on NBA coverage would be interesting. Grant fumbles his words a bit too much for my liking. Legler has great analysis, but might be a bit dry for the average viewer. RJ would be my bet.
Two-person booth! Two-person booth! Rabble rabble rabble!
Jay bilas please 🙏🏾 an actual person who knows basketball
Kevin Harlan swinging his fists in the air like Trey from Boyz in the Hood
Legler>Bilas>Hill>RJ
IMO
Give me Legler. Best combo of analysis and personality IMO. I think RJ would be a good fit too.
I’ll toss a vote for zero analysts and crank up the arena volume.. but that will never happen
Anyone but Richard Jefferson and I’m happy. The rest of the options are good. I’m just happy JJ Redick is no longer a thing
Bring back JVG
Legs please🙏🏽
Grant Hill is so boring…so ESPN will likely pick him:( Hoping for RJ though.
It will be RJ spoiler alert
They will never do it because of optics. But their top crew is screwed until they remove Doris.
Shit is turning into the defense against the dark arts teaching position
Grant Hill becomes the Piston’s head coach in the ’25-’26 season.
Remove Burke and add rj and legs
Legler is great
Breen, Legler, RJ would be good. I’m not as familiar with Hill and Bilas
RJ, Legler, & Breen would be fire
Not that i dislike her all that much, but i’d get rid of Doris
Hope they pick RJ, and replace Doris. She’s probably nice and a good person, but she’s terrible in commentary and isn’t right often when she tries to provide insight or commentary about events on the floor.
RJ would definitely be best, but they might go a little more conservative with GH
Hold it down, Doris!!!
Legler or RJ would be great!
Has Bilas ever called NBA games?
Grant Hill sucks.
Drop Doris, bring on RJ and Legler.
Let Hubie Brown do a couple games in plsce of Legs or RJ while youre at it. He’s not for everyone but he loves the game, and I like hearing what he has to say.
Legler
All good choice I’ll probably put bilas last he’s the most boring. Rj will is like a kid in a candy store every game but I like his energy. Hill is kinda boring too but isnt offensive. Legler would be my top choice
RJ is the man and I do think he would play off Breen really well. Still not happy about Doris but whatever
Vince Carter or Dirk were great on their spots on TNT
I love Legler as an analyst. Hopefully that won’t take away from him breaking down tape.
My dream team would be Breen, Jefferson and Legler. You got Breen for the iconic call outs and most of the talking, Jefferson for the more casual viewers bringing some fun and jokes, and Legler for the more hardcore fans doing Xs and Os.
There’s no need for a 3rd broadcaster, but if it has to be that way make it RJ or Legs.
Hot take: I don’t like RJ as an announcer. He loves doing a “time of death” call when a team his a dagger, and I watched a game where he made the “time of death” call 3 times because the first two were not time of death. His podcast is funny but he’s more of a comedian than a commentator
Legs
Can we get rid of Doris and get Grant and RJ
Legs 2024
Can we just have one of them replace Doris?
Save me Tim
these 3 person broadcast teams always end up sounding more clunky.. they should keep it a 2 person team
Put Doris back on the sidelines first
ESPN absolutely sucks now for sports coverage. It’s sad to see because they used to be so far better than the competition, but now it’s really hard to watch anything they put out there. Their analysts are so bad and listening to Stephen A and Kendrick the racist Perkins is just unbearable.
The fact they try to keep Perkins on as their Charles Barkley like person when he is as boring as can be and his takes are just outright ignorant has forced me to never watch anything they do again until he is gone. I guess for some reason being black and being pure racist against white doesn’t matter, but if something was said the other way around they would literally be snap fired. Sad to see they support it.
Mute button here i come
Legs is the best NBA media member by a fucking light year, hope they can make him work for the masses.
Legs! It has to be
RJ and bilas both
Get rid of Doris, Breen, Legler and Jefferson would be a great team. Breen is BANG on, Legs is an excellent analyst and RJ is not so long removed from the game that he knows a lot of players and coaches personally also crazy enough to add humour and lighten the broadcast.
It should 100% be Richard Jefferson, but they’re probably gonna go with the most boring choice lmao
Its ok. JJ will be fired by the 2025 Finals, so he’ll be back.