Former Warriors GM joins ESPN pregame show

ESPN has once again reshuffled its "NBA Countdown" pregame show, which was hosted by Mike Greenberg last season. Michael Wilbon and Stephen A. Smith return, Malika Andrews is the new host, and Myers and Adrian Wojnarowski round out the group, expanded to five analysts this season. Old host Greenberg and the laid-off Jalen Rose depart.

Myers became the Warriors general manager in 2012, and the team immediately returned to the playoffs. In his 11 years in charge, the Warriors won four titles and reached six NBA Finals, going nine years without losing a Western Conference playoff series. The two-time Executive of the Year left the team this summer when he and ownership couldn't work out a new contract.

Now he's giving broadcasting a try. It's the second dramatic career change for Myers, who was a sports agent before switching to a front-office role. Myers was also a college basketball player, winning a national championship as a deep bench reserve for the 1994-95 UCLA Bruins.

The move to ESPN isn't a surprise. In January, the network announced Myers would host an interview podcast called "Lead By Example." 

Perhaps that served as a tryout for Myers joining the "NBA Countdown" team. It also appears that he'll be a game analyst.

ESPN has constantly retooled its pregame lineup over the years. Greenberg replaced Rachel Nichols on the show in 2021, and Nichols herself replaced Michelle Beadle. The panel has changed over and over, with former players Paul Pierce, Richard Jefferson, Chauncey Billups, Jay Williams and Rose all on the panel at various times.

It's a marked contrast to the stability of TNT's "Inside the NBA," where the lineup of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal has remained the same since 2011, and the other three have been a team since 2000.

There's a difference in approach, too. ESPN affords much less time at halftime or before games, so there's less conversation and more bite-sized hot takes. Perhaps Myers can elevate the discourse, but with five people on a panel, the odds are that he won't get to talk much at all.

Myers now has a third career as a broadcaster, pundit and podcaster. He's smart and thoughtful, so it could work, but given the general instability around ESPN and the NBA executive jobs that could be available for Myers, we suspect his foray into broadcasting could be a brief one.