Last week, it was reported that NBA analyst Chris Webber may be done at Turner, where he’s been on the No. 1 broadcast team alongside Marv Albert for games on TNT. And on Thursday night, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post confirmed that Webber is indeed out at TNT ahead of the 2021 NBA playoffs.
Marchand says that TNT and Webber “agreed to part ways,” and adds that there were no contract negotiations.
Chris Webber and TNT have agreed to part ways Thursday on the eve of the NBA playoffs, The Post has learned.
Last week, The Post reported that Webber’s return for next year was very much in question. There had been no contract negotiations. There was a feeling that TNT did not want him back and maybe he didn’t want to return.
Webber, 48, had been an NBA analyst at TNT since 2008, and also called college basketball games in the NCAA Tournament for Turner networks going back to 2015.
However, Webber was absent from the 2021 NCAA Tournament. When Marchand first reported on Webber’s possible exit, he said that Turner officials weren’t happy that Webber waited until the last minute in March to inform them of his decision to not call NCAA Tournament games this year.
In March, Webber did not help himself — if he wishes to continue to call games — by informing Turner officials very late that he would not do the NCAA Tournament that took place in a “bubble” format in Indianapolis.
Though TNT has been very understanding about COVID concerns throughout the pandemic, the fact Webber waited until the last moment before bailing was looked upon as poor form.
So, it’s very possible that played into the decision to not bring Webber back (and perhaps Turner’s reaction to Webber’s decision played into him not having interest in coming back anyway; Marchand did say that “maybe [Webber] didn’t want to return”).
Reggie Miller replaced Webber alongside Albert for Thursday night’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat on TNT, so there’s a good chance that remains the pairing for the playoffs. Marchand also mentions Grant Hill and Jim Jackson as in-house options, and previously has mentioned Paul Pierce (recently fired by ESPN) and Richard Jefferson (contract expiring at ESPN) as possibilities to join Turner with Webber’s exit.
