After months of speculation, it appears that ESPN is set to officially demote Doris Burke.
According to The Athletic‘s Andrew Marchand, the Worldwide Leader in Sports has decided to remove Burke from its top NBA team and will replace her with Tim Legler.
While seismic, the news of Burke’s demotion doesn’t come as a surprise. Just ahead of the start of the 2025 NBA Finals, Marchand reported that her spot in ESPN’s top basketball booth wasn’t guaranteed moving forward and that the network would consider making a change in the ensuing offseason.
In many ways, Marchand’s report cast a shadow over Burke’s broadcasting duties throughout her second NBA Finals, which was already under scrutiny as she, Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson failed to find chemistry in their first season as a trio. Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle publicly criticized the timing of the ESPN leak, while Jefferson donned a t-shirt that read “my favorite broadcaster is Doris Burke” during an appearance on ESPN’s broadcast of the Women’s College World Series during the Finals.
Yet despite the public support, it appears that ESPN officials have opted to push forward with the demotion, which comes as ESPN’s new media rights deal takes effect for the 2025-26 season. According to Marchand, Breen and Jefferson will remain in the network’s No. 1 NBA booth and will now be joined by Legler, who was one of the candidates who auditioned to join Breen and Burke last season in a role that ultimately went to Jefferson.
But while it may have been expected, the change also means that ESPN will have a different NBA Finals booth for the fourth time in as many years. After firing Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson following the 2023 Finals, the network replaced them with Burke and Doc Rivers, only for Rivers to take the Milwaukee Bucks head coaching job midway through the 2023-24 campaign. JJ Redick replaced Rivers and called the 2024 Finals alongside Breen and Burke before taking the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job, with Jefferson ultimately completing the three-person booth in 2025.
With ESPN set to host the next 11 NBA Finals, the network is undoubtedly hopeful that the trio of Breen, Jefferson and Legler will bring it some much-needed stability. As for Doris Burke, Marchand reports that she’ll likely move to ESPN’s No. 2 NBA booth and is currently in talks regarding a contract extension with her current deal set to expire after the upcoming season.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.