ESPN has a big void in its NBA coverage after Jeff Van Gundy was let go, and one media insider has a prediction for who will fill it.
Van Gundy was one of more than a dozen on-air personalities who were part of ESPN’s latest round of layoffs. The former head coach had called NBA Finals games on ESPN/ABC for the past 16 years alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Breen and fellow analyst Mark Jackson. A few in-house names have been mentioned as potential candidates to replace Van Gundy, and Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports predicts that Doris Burke will get the job.
As McCarthy wrote this week, ESPN “likes to think of itself as a progressive, cutting-edge company.” Burke, who has called the NBA Finals on ESPN Radio since 2020, would become the first female to call an NBA Finals game on television if she takes over for Van Gundy.
ESPN analysts JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson were also mentioned as possible Van Gundy replacements, but Burke has significantly more experience calling games than either former player.
One report named an intriguing outside candidate to replace Van Gundy, but promoting from within would likely be the most cost-effective approach for ESPN. It is also possible that the network could just stick with Breen and Jackson and go with a two-person booth.
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