After calling the NBA Finals for ESPN last season, JJ Redick was very excited to learn Richard Jefferson recently landed his old gig.
Monday morning, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported ESPN officially added Jefferson to their top NBA broadcasting crew, meaning he’ll be alongside play-by-play voice Mike Breen and co-analyst Doris Burke for their coverage of the Finals this season.
Redick, who previously called games alongside Jefferson on ESPN, was asked about the decision while meeting with reporters at Lakers practice.
JJ Redick was asked about Richard Jefferson replacing him on ESPN’s top broadcast team and naturally took some jabs at his friend:
“Well first of all, I think they picked the wrong person.”
“He’s someone who, I say this all the time about him, he was born to do television.… https://t.co/Y41clzDCHq pic.twitter.com/rfNhCbPLBj
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) February 24, 2025
“Well, first of all, I think they picked the wrong person,” Redick joked. “I’m thrilled for him. He deserves it. He’s someone who, I say this all the time about him, he was born to do television. Probably more so than being born to be a basketball player. He’s just got a natural ability. I’ve been around him for four years in that space, he just works and works at his craft. He’s dedicated to it. I’m happy for him and I think that’s a great crew.”
According to JJ Redick, he learned of the news before Marchand did, or at least before Marchand reported it. Redick said Breen and Burke told him Richard Jefferson was officially joining their broadcast team ahead of the Lakers Saturday night game on ESPN.
Redick called games with Jefferson and Ryan Ruocco for years. And last season, ESPN named them their official B-team, with an eye on potentially seeing the crew become their lead NBA broadcast in the future. That plan was quickly foiled when Doc Rivers left ESPN to coach the Milwaukee Bucks, which saw Redick join Breen and Burke for the Finals.
Shortly after his promotion, JJ Redick left broadcasting to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, which led to ESPN trying out different analysts alongside Breen and Burke throughout the first half of this season. But ESPN has finally reached what always seemed like the most logical conclusion, by officially making Richard Jefferson the third member of its lead crew.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com