Doris Burke will become the first woman to serve as a game analyst on television for a championship final in one of the four major professional U.S. sports leagues.
ESPN announced Monday that Burke and Doc Rivers will join Mike Breen on ESPN and ABC’s top NBA broadcast crew.
Burke has called the Finals on ESPN Radio since 2020 and has been an analyst on ESPN’s NBA games since 2017. She also was a sideline reporter for ABC’s coverage of the finals for nine years.
Rivers, who was fired as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers in May, called games on ESPN during the 2003-04 season.
Burke and Rivers replace Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, who were laid off as part of job cuts by the network. Breen, Van Gundy and Jackson called 15 Finals together.
The naming of the top crews weren’t the only NBA moves announced Monday by the network. Former Golden State Warriors GM and President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers will become a studio analyst as well as call some games. Myers is a two-time NBA Executive of the Year who led the Warriors to four titles.
Malika Andrews will host all of ESPN and ABC’s “NBA Countdown” pregame shows. She also will continue to host the daily “NBA Today” show.
Ryan Ruocco, JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson will call the “NBA Sunday Showcase” games on ABC. It is the first time ESPN has named a core second team for its NBA games.