ESPN eyeing expanded role for ex-NBA guard?
Jan. 4, 2011; New Orleans, LA, USA; ESPN logo prior to the 2011 Sugar Bowl between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Louisiana Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
One longtime ESPN host may finally be leveling up.
Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post reported this week that ESPN leadership is warming up to the idea of having in-studio analyst Tim Legler call more games for the network. Glasspiegel adds that Legler has long held a desire to do more game work and notes that Legler is slated to be a color commentator on ESPN’s NBA Summer League coverage in July.
The 57-year-old Legler is a former NBA guard who played ten seasons in the league for six different teams (including winning the Three Point Contest in 1996 as a member of the then-Washington Bullets). Legler has since made a new name for himself as an analyst, joining ESPN in 2000 and appearing on a variety of their NBA-related studio shows. Though Legler also does work on ESPN Radio, he is best known these days as an in-studio analyst on “SportsCenter” alongside Scott Van Pelt.
ESPN has some reshuffling to do with their NBA coverage with JJ Redick, who was a color commentator on their lead NBA television broadcast team, just leaving to become the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Some think that Legler could be a candidate to take over for Redick (though there are plenty of other candidates in the mix for that job as well).
