Richard Jefferson: Doris Burke ‘has had to deal with so much bullsh*t’

Richard Jefferson is aware of the outside noise.

He knows what’s being said about ESPN’s lead NBA booth, about the chemistry between himself, Mike Breen, and Doris Burke. We wrote that the booth is still finding its voice. That was before the 2025 NBA Finals. Also ahead were reports that Burke could be the odd woman out in the booth, even as Jefferson’s contract is set to expire.

Jefferson showed support for his colleague by wearing a shirt for Burke during ESPN’s coverage of the Women’s College World Series. His support for Doris Burke is nothing new. But it feels more pronounced now as the two face increasing scrutiny, especially Burke, for some of her commentary during the Western Conference Finals.

She called Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a free-throw merchant and gave Mike Breen a lesson on geopolitics.

While complaints have grown not just about Burke but the whole group, 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.”

Jefferson knows the criticism hasn’t been evenly distributed. Burke has shouldered more of it — some of it fair, a lot of it not. As he sees it, there’s a broader issue at play: comparisons to previous booths, especially the chemistry Mike Breen once had with Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy.

But Jefferson says that’s missing the point.

“And now Doris and I and Mike are building chemistry and working together, and we’re trying to compare that, I don’t think there is an intelligent person in the world that would think that’s the right thing or fair thing to do,” Jefferson added. “But that’s part of the media world we live in. It’s the comparison world. It’s the Michael Jordan vs LeBron James. It’s the comparison world, and we all live with that, we love it, and that’s part of the reason you light the fire.”

Burke was the one chosen to replace Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. Jefferson wasn’t. He joined the booth later, after Burke had already worked alongside Doc Rivers and J.J. Redick. This version of the team is still new, still finding its voice and building something.

Burke has weathered more than most in sports media. She’s still standing. And if nothing else, Jefferson is making sure people don’t forget that.