NBA fans worried they might lose longtime ESPN analyst Tim Legler when SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt’s season-ending shout out to Legler was construed as a farewell, but it appears that in fact Legler is working on a new contract with the worldwide leader and could see an expanded role as a game analyst in the near future.
According to a source via Ryan Glasspiegel of The New York Post, “Legler and ESPN are currently in discussions for a new contract.”
In a column pitching Legler as the best candidate to replace new Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick as a color commentator in ESPN’s top NBA booth alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke, Glasspiegel also reports Legler will broadcast NBA Summer League games from Las Vegas in July. That could be the first step toward more opportunities in the booth again for Legler, who called Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves last month alongside Mark Jones.
“ESPN leadership has warmed up to the idea” of Legler calling more games, Glasspiegel wrote.
While Legler was a fixture of ESPN’s studio coverage and game broadcasts around the NBA early in his tenure at the network, he was relegated primarily to hits on SportsCenter in recent years. That led him to pursue opportunities in digital media, where he cohosted podcasts with Redick and as part of the growing All City Network.
ESPN reportedly plans to take its time before naming a replacement for Redick after a tumultuous year trying to find analysts for its top booth, but Legler certainly brings experience that few others at ESPN can boast.
Perhaps his audition this postseason combined with the shoutout from Van Pelt and online celebration of his analysis helped push ESPN to consider him again.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.