Yahoo News Doris Burke to call NBA Finals on ESPN Radio in historic move
Doris Burke will make history inside the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World later this month.
Burke, the longtime ESPN analyst, will call the conference and NBA Finals on ESPN Radio — which will make her the first woman to ever do so on either a network television or radio broadcast, according to the Associated Press.
“Doris is a trailblazer who continues to reimagine what is possible for women in broadcasting and we know she’ll thrive in this history-making radio analyst role,” ESPN executive vice president of event and studio production Stephanie Druley said, via the Associated Press.
“We’re so proud of our deep, diverse roster of women leading our NBA Playoffs coverage and we’re grateful to them for their leadership and exemplary work.”
The historic move marks just the latest Burke has accomplished throughout her career. She first joined ESPN’s NBA coverage in 2003, and became the first woman to ever serve as a full-time game analyst in 2017. She has served on the NBA Finals coverage crew for more than a decade, too, working as a sideline reporter.
Rachel Nichols taking Burke’s place on the sidelines
Since Burke can’t fulfill her usual role on the sidelines, ESPN’s Rachel Nichols is slated to take her place for the NBA Finals, per the report.
Nichols will continue to host “The Jump” throughout the playoffs, too, and will also present the trophy to the winning team after the Finals. Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson will call the series.
“NBA Countdown” will now serve as both the pregame and halftime show for the Finals instead of “The Jump” as was initially planned. That show, hosted by Maria Taylor, will be run out of the network’s New York studio. Stephen A. Smith, Jalen Rose, Jay Williams, Adrian Wojnarowski and Paul Pierce are expected to join her.
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