SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 10: Commentators Doris Burke and Mike Breen looks on before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center on February 10, 2024 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
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ESPN has made another major shift to its top NBA broadcast booth. According to The Athletic, Doris Burke has been removed from the network’s No. 1 team, with Tim Legler set to join play-by-play voice Mike Breen and analyst Richard Jefferson for the 2025–26 season.
The move marks the end of a short but historic run. Burke made history in 2023 when she became the first woman to serve as lead analyst for the NBA Finals, a role she held for two seasons. She worked the Finals alongside Breen and JJ Redick in 2024 and most recently called the Pacers-Thunder series with Breen and Jefferson, which concluded with Game 7.
ESPN Reshuffles NBA Coverage
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 17: J.J. Redick, Doris Burke and Mike Breen look on during the second quarter of Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
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The decision to remove Burke appears to have been driven internally. According to reporting, ESPN executive Mike McQuade, who oversees event and studio production, played a key role in the change. Though McQuade is friends with Legler, Burke’s decades of experience in NBA broadcasting remain a focal point in evaluating the reshuffle.
Legler has been with ESPN since 2000 and has built his reputation as a studio analyst, occasionally appearing on broadcasts. At 58, the former NBA sharpshooter is stepping into ESPN’s top booth after only two seasons of calling games, while Burke has been one of the network’s most reliable voices across NBA coverage for over twenty years.
Doris Burke’s Career Of Firsts With ESPN
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 15: Doris Burke of ESPN looks on prior to the game between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 15, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Knicks defeated the 76ers 125-119 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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Burke began her broadcasting career in 1990, covering women’s basketball before expanding into Big East men’s games. She went on to become the first woman to call New York Knicks games and the first to serve as lead analyst for a men’s college basketball conference package.
She joined ESPN in 1991 and became a central figure across the network’s basketball programming, from WNBA coverage and New York Liberty broadcasts to men’s college basketball alongside Dick Vitale. By 2003, she had joined ESPN and ABC’s NBA sidelines, where she spent a decade covering marquee matchups and reporting from the NBA Finals.
In 2017, Burke transitioned into a full-time game analyst role, becoming the first woman at the national level to be assigned a regular-season NBA package. She continued to break barriers in 2020, when she became the first woman to call the Conference Finals and NBA Finals on radio.
What’s Next Doris Burke And ESPN
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 15: Ryan Ruocco and Doris Burke of ESPN pose for a picture prior to the game between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 15, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Knicks defeated the 76ers 125-119 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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While she will no longer be part of ESPN’s No. 1 team, Burke is not leaving the network. ESPN confirmed she has signed a multi-year contract extension and will remain part of its NBA coverage. Her exact role for the upcoming season has yet to be detailed.
For Burke, the move represents an adjustment rather than an exit, but for the broader industry, the decision highlights the fragility of progress around representation in high-profile media roles.
At a time when women are gaining visibility across the sports landscape, the absence of a female voice on ESPN’s top NBA broadcast, one of sports most prominent stages, signals both how far the industry has come and how far it still has to go.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennnelson/2025/08/28/espn-moves-doris-burke-off-lead-nba-broadcast-team/
