Despite being demoted from the network’s lead NBA broadcast team that calls the NBA Finals, Doris Burke is sticking with ESPN.
The network announced on Thursday that Burke has signed a multi-year deal to remain at the network and continue calling a full slate of regular season NBA games, albeit not with the top team. Burke will now regularly work games with veteran play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand first reported that Burke was in talks to extend her contract earlier on Thursday.
Per ESPN’s announcement, Burke will call games on ESPN and ABC under the NBA Sunday Showcase series. She will also continue to feature prominently during the NBA playoffs.
ESPN’s lead NBA team will now consist of play-by-play voice Mike Breen alongside analysts Richard Jefferson, who returns, and Tim Legler, who will make his debut as a top broadcaster and voice of the NBA Finals. The network has struggled to find consistency in its top NBA booth since firing longtime analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson in the summer of 2023. Since firing the veteran analyst duo, ESPN has trotted out four separate analysts to pair with Breen: Doc Rivers, JJ Redick, Jefferson, and Burke. Legler will make five.
Sticking with ESPN despite the demotion is a testament to Burke’s character and respect for the company. Her new deal will extend her tenure with ESPN past the 35-year mark, and from a basketball perspective, she’s done it all. Throughout her more than three decades in Bristol, Burke has covered college hoops, the NBA, and WNBA, on radio, on television, and working the sidelines. She was the first woman to call a championship series on television for a major pro sports league in the United States.
Clearly, one setback isn’t going to ruin decades of goodwill between her and the network she works for. And clearly, ESPN still has a great deal of confidence in her given she’ll still be working high-profile games throughout the season.