ESPN Replaces Doris Burke With Tim Legler For NBA Finals Coverage

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, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported Thursday.

ESPN Promoted Doris Burke To NBA Finals Team In 2023

Legler will now work alongside 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 four major North American sports leagues championships.

She formerly worked as an analyst for WNBA games on MSG and has covered New York Knicks games in the past. Burke was the first female commentator to call a Knicks game on radio and television.

Burke attended Providence College from 1984 to 1987, and has worked for ESPN since 1991. She was the primary radio and television voice of the WNBA’s New York Liberty.

She competed as a point guard for the Providence Friars women’s basketball team for four years, averaging 12.1 points and 5.3 assists per game.

Burke Signed Multi-Year Extension With Network

After ESPN confirmed the news, the network revealed that Burke had signed a multi-year extension. She will be on ESPN’s No. 2 NBA broadcast team with play-by-player Dave Pasch.

ESPN has been shuffling its Finals broadcast crew for years since it fired Breen’s longtime analysts, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, in the summer of 2023. The network had company-wide layoffs that year.

Van Gundy and Jackson were reportedly let go because of their “perceived continued desire to coach,” sources familiar with the matter told Marchand.

The NBA grew tired of Van Gundy criticizing officials, according to those sources. Soon after the firings, ESPN promoted Burke to the top chair and paired her with Doc Rivers.

However, Rivers only stayed on the job for a few months before returning to coach the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2023-24 season.

ESPN chose to promote JJ Redick to the Rivers spot instead of Jefferson. Redick left after the 2024 NBA Finals to coach the Los Angeles Lakers.

Legler has been at ESPN for 25 years, but he didn’t start regularly calling games until two seasons ago. He played for six teams across his 10-year NBA career, averaging 7.0 points per game and shooting 43.1% from 3-point range.