Rumors

ABC/ESPN has demoted Hall of Fame broadcaster Doris Burke from its NBA Finals team and promoted network commentator Tim Legler to its No. 1 team, sources briefed on the decision told The Athletic on Thursday. Legler will pair with longtime lead play-by-player Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson for the network’s finals broadcasts. Jefferson recently agreed to a new contract with ESPN after working his first finals in June. Burke was on the finals team for two years, becoming the first woman in history to serve as an analyst for one of the traditional four major North American sports leagues championships (NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL).

New York Times

But Jefferson picked ‘The Mailman,’ and his reasoning was rooted in what he called Malone’s “level of professionalism.” “The reason why I would pick Karl Malone over Charles is because of the level of professionalism that Karl Malone always approached,” Jefferson said on his Road Trippin’ pod. “Karl Malone also had a top-five point guard — wherever you want to rank him — in John Stockton next to him.” “So when I look at Karl Malone, with Charles when he was in Philly, he was in and out of shape, and then he would, you know, some of his off-the-court partying that we knew about…I’m saying Charles was a rebel. He’s not a role model. So I’m not taking shots at him. But I’m saying, when you look at a guy like Karl Malone, who trained for eight hours a day, he played for 19 years. He was second in scoring. And if his body would have held up, he probably would have been the all-time leading scorer.”

Awful Announcing

Richard Jefferson on Jonathan Kuminga: James Harden was a six-man in OKC. He goes and turns into Super James in Houston. So maybe he does need a different place, but I think the way the Warriors are playing, it didn't mesh with what he individual goals are. And he's already won a championship, so he ain't trying. It ain't all about the team. It's about the bag. 

YouTube

Richard Jefferson: My favorite story with Channing Frye talking sh*t about how his car didn't have AC… He goes, "My car didn't have AC." And Dwyane Wade was like, "Bro, we didn't have heat in my house growing up.”

YouTube

Richard Jefferson has an agreement in place to return to ABC/ESPN, where he is expected to continue on NBA Finals broadcasts with Mike Breen, while Doris Burke’s spot on the network’s top team remains in question, sources briefed on the discussions said. Jefferson, 45, was elevated to the No. 1 team last season after previously being on the network’s No. 2 team. The official contract is not yet signed. ESPN declined to comment on Jefferson’s agreement.

New York Times

Who are some of the NBA players that you’ve been in the sand with where you were like, “Dude, this guy could be a pro easily”? Who’s nice? Chase Budinger: Zero. None. None. But there have been a few guys that have impressed me. Richard Jefferson, J.J. Barea, Blake Griffin—those are just a few who have come out and played with us. They can compete and have fun with it, but not at the level that we play at.

YouTube

Around the same time the CBA was passed in 2023, owners of many of the league’s premier franchises began to sell their teams. In the past two years, the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Lakers have changed hands, with smaller teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets, and Portland Trail Blazers following suit. Richard Jefferson believes this is because the NBA lessened the value of great owners by punishing teams who assemble elite rosters, spend big, and win. “With this CBA, (teams) are screwed. That’s why all the owners are getting out,” Jefferson said this week on his Road Trippin’ podcast.

Awful Announcing

“That’s part of the reason why the owners are selling. All the current owners are getting out. That’s part of the conversation. It’s not just owners that want to stack the deck. It’s not just Lakers and Celtics. Charlotte sold, Portland sold. They’re looking at it like, even if I do a good job and I field a good team, it’s going to cost me so much money to even keep a good team. Just the formula of success. And when can say parity, but the parity is all going to spill down into those [worse] teams.”

Awful Announcing

While complaints have grown not just about Doris Burke but the whole group, Richard Jefferson made his position clear. “Doris, I always call her the godmother of basketball, because she has had to deal with so much bullsh*t for the past 30 years in this industry,” Jefferson told Jimmy Traina on the SI Media Podcast. “She’s one of the best. And so those are the people you’re excited to be teammates with, because they make you better, you make them better. And I think our chemistry is only going to continue to grow.”

Awful Announcing

Richard Jefferson wears pro-Doris Burke shirt during interview

Awful Announcing

While ESPN intends on re-signing Jefferson, it has not yet locked him up with his contract expiring, according to sources briefed on the talks. Amazon Prime Video has expressed some interest in Jefferson, according to the same sources. Meanwhile, Burke’s spot is not guaranteed for next season, according to sources familiar with ESPN’s preliminary plans. While Breen, the Basketball Hall of Famer under a long-term deal, is not going anywhere, ESPN will evaluate its entire roster.

New York Times

In a recent episode of his “Road Trippin'” podcast, Jefferson argued that the NBA actually likes the conspiracy theories, as they add to the league’s reputation for drama. “The two percent does happen. It happens a lot,” Jefferson said. “Everyone wants to say it’s rigged, but the NBA likes that illusion of this. It’s part of the allure. The NBA is the most dramatic sport. It’s the second-biggest sport in the world, but it’s the most dramatic. “The drama that goes into basketball players on and off the court, all the drama, the pettiness, the dads on the court talking s–t to Hall-of-Famers, the NBA is always full of some s–t. That’s just part of the drama. The NBA likes the fact that people are like, ‘Oh, this is rigged.'”

Larry Brown Sports

Richard Jefferson: 1. Pritch Please 2. Let me fix your post “I’m a huge Boston supporter and I wish they spoke MORE about Pritchard” 3. I personally did a highlight package for Pritchard during the game. 4. So to say we didn’t mention it for 2 hours is an actually lie or maybe a bias opinion. I’ll let you pick. Ps… have me on the pod again soon. I miss it.

x.com

Van Gundy, 65, joins Ian Eagle on Prime Video’s game telecasts. While Prime has designated Eagle as its No. 1 play-by-play announcer, it plans on waiting to name its top game analysts. It has shown interest in Richard Jefferson, who was just promoted to ESPN’s No. 1 crew with Mike Breen and Doris Burke. Jefferson’s contract expires after he calls the NBA Finals for ABC in June.

New York Times