ESPN has continued the trend of bringing in former NBA players to help their coverage of the sport, adding longtime Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem to their programming coverage of the NBA Playoffs. And Magic Johnson appears to be quite impressed with Haslem’s talents in breaking down the game thus far.
Johnson, who has served as a studio analyst on numerous shows on the network including NBA Countdown along with appearances on Get Up and First Take, knows first-hand what the transition from an NBA career to becoming a media personality is like.
Haslem has worked alongside former teammate Mike Miller on their shared podcast, The OGs Show, since January. But this recent opportunity for Haslem with ESPN marks the first opportunity of the sorts he has received on national programming.
During the NBA postseason, Haslem has appeared on ESPN studio shows including First Take and Get Up. And after appearing on both shows on Tuesday, Magic Johnson took notice, taking to social media to urge ESPN to hire Haslem full-time.
“ESPN- You definitely have an excellent team of ex-players already in Kendrick Perkins, Jay Williams, Tim Legler, and JJ Redick,” wrote Johnson on X, formerly known as Twitter. But you should hire Udonis Haslem permanently! He’s been spectacular breaking down the NBA playoffs- from the players’ game and mentality, to the x’s and o’s, as well as the philosophy of the game…Udonis has done it with intelligence, charisma, and flair. And he’s funny too!”
ESPN – You definitely have an excellent team of ex-players already with Kendrick Perkins, Jay Williams, Tim Legler, and JJ Reddick…but you should hire Udonis Haslem permanently! He's been spectacular breaking down the NBA playoffs – from the players’ game and mentality, to the…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 29, 2024
On the surface, Haslem appears to be a pretty good fit for what ESPN seems to be trying to do, providing knowledge of the game coming from a lengthy amount of experience in the NBA, along with some laughs along the way.
Only time will tell whether ESPN ultimately listens to Magic’s advice and hires Haslem as a permanent fixture of their NBA coverage. But it at least has to be nice if you are Haslem to receive a ringing endorsement from a true legend of basketball in Johnson.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.