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ESPN Makes NBA Finals Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Feb 24, 2025 10:24 AM ET

The NBA season is back in full swing after the All-Star break, and teams are gearing up for the postseason and a run at the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Last season, the Boston Celtics took down the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals in a series that was not particularly close. With ESPN's Mike Breen, JJ Redick, Doris Burke, and Lisa Salters calling the game for ABC, Boston won four games to one against Dallas.

However, this year’s broadcast team will have a different look, as Redick left ESPN in the offseason to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

On Monday, ESPN announced that Redick's replacement will be Richard Jefferson.

"ESPN today announced that NBA event and studio analyst Richard Jefferson will join Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame broadcasters Mike Breen and Doris Burke to form ESPN’s 2025 NBA Finals team, with Lisa Salters reporting," Ronce Rajan of ESPN Press Room wrote.

In addition to the NBA Finals, this team will also have the honor of calling the 2025 Western Conference Finals.

@Rjeff24 joins Mike Breen & @heydb to form 2025 #NBAFinals broadcast booth - with @saltersl reporting

Details: https://t.co/ouDIyRp6Lp pic.twitter.com/ccQ74hBWop
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 24, 2025

Jefferson, who played 17 years in the NBA for various teams, joined ESPN in 2019 and has since taken on a larger role, calling games after initially starting as an NBA studio analyst.

While Jefferson has yet to call an NBA Finals game, he has worked with Breen and Burke before.

The 2025 NBA Finals will begin on June 5.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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