ESPN expected to hire Doc Rivers; JJ Redick to call more NBA games
Doris Burke also appears to be moving up to ESPN's No. 1 NBA booth to replace Mark Jackson, who said he's been let go by the network.
It looks like 76ers fans will see plenty of Doc Rivers next season.
Sources confirm a report by the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand that the former Sixers head coach, fired after last season’s disappointing loss in the second round of the playoffs, appears to be heading to ESPN to call basketball games as the network’s top analyst.
Rivers would replace Jeff Van Gundy, who was laid off last month as part of company-wide cutbacks imposed by parent company Disney. Van Gundy had been with ESPN for 16 years, calling NBA games and the NBA Finals alongside Mike Breen and Mark Jackson.
ESPN is also planning on promoting Doris Burke to the No. 1 crew. As for Jackson, he told longtime NBA reporter Peter Vecsey on Monday afternoon he was let go by ESPN, news later confirmed by the Post.
The deals are not yet finalized but trending that way, sources told The Inquirer. ESPN declined to comment.
This wouldn’t be Rivers’ first time on TV. After he was fired by the Orlando Magic in 2003, ABC hired Rivers as their lead NBA analyst, where he called the NBA Finals alongside longtime NFL announcer Al Michaels. His TV career lasted just a year; he was hired by the Boston Celtics in 2004.
Sources also told The Inquirer that former Sixer JJ Redick is expected to call more NBA games this season, in addition to his role as a studio analyst. Redick was hired by ESPN in 2021 and his presence as part of the network’s NBA coverage has grown each season, including regular appearances on First Take with Stephen A. Smith.
While Redick appears to have settled into his television role, he did interview for the Toronto Raptors open head coaching position back in May. The Raptors ultimately went with Darko Rajaković, while fired head coach Nick Nurse was hired by the Sixers.
As for ESPN’s NBA coverage, it still has a hole to fill on NBA Countdown after laying off Jalen Rose, who had been part of the network’s pregame and halftime coverage for a decade. Rose, who played 16 seasons in the NBA, joined ESPN in 2007 as a studio analyst. He currently hosts the Renaissance Man podcast for the New York Post.
On social media, Jackson later confirmed the move out of his former ESPN role, stating he was “shocked and dismayed” by the sudden news.