ESPN to Hire Doc Rivers, Promote Doris Burke to Top NBA Team; Mark Jackson to be Demoted

Rivers and Burke will replace Mark Jackson, who is moving the No. 2 broadcast team, per Marchand. Former in-game analyst Jeff Van Gundy was laid off earlier this summer.

Per Marchand, the deals for Rivers and Burke aren’t yet finalized, “but are quickly moving in that direction.”

Meanwhile, Jackson is expected to join play-by-play man Mark Jones — though if Jackson balks at the demotion, could leave ESPN altogether, Marchand wrote.

Jackson and Van Gundy were staples of the top games on ESPN for nearly 20 years, calling Finals games on ABC during that stretch. The NBA has not played a significant role in ESPN’s decisions on its top broadcasts teams, Marchand suggested.

“Unlike Van Gundy, Burke and Rivers are popular at the league offices,” he wrote. “The league has always been a fan of Rivers in the broadcast booth.”

Rivers, 61, most recently coached the 76ers for three years, losing in the second round of the playoffs each time. He was fired at the end of last season.

The 76ers finished 154-82 combined under Rivers, who has also served as head coach of the Clippers, Celtics and Magic. Overall he has compiled a 1,097-763 record in 24 seasons, winning a championship in 2008 with Boston.