Report: ESPN likely to add 2 big names to NBA broadcast team

Nov 13, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; ESPN play-by-play commentator Mike Breen looks on during a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center. The Lakers won 120-94. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN appears set for a total overhaul of its top NBA broadcast crew next season, adding two new names after Jeff Van Gundy’s departure from the network.

According to Chad Finn of the Boston Globe, ESPN is likely to add Doc Rivers and Doris Burke to its No. 1 team alongside Mike Breen for the 2023-24 season.

In addition to replacing Van Gundy, this suggests that the network will be re-assigning Mark Jackson, who had previously served as part of the three-man crew.

Nothing is imminent now, but hearing there's a good chance that Doc Rivers and Doris Burke join Mike Breen on ESPN's top NBA broadcast team next season.

— Chad Finn (@GlobeChadFinn) July 17, 2023

Both Rivers and Burke had been mentioned as possibilities to take over Van Gundy’s role, but it sounded like an either-or proposition, not both. If this does come to pass, the report suggests that ESPN decided to take the opportunity to fully overhaul the lead team and pair Breen with two new partners.

Van Gundy and Jackson have both been mainstays of ESPN’s NBA coverage, but Van Gundy was included in the network’s recent round of layoffs. There had been no suggestion that Jackson would be assigned to a new role, but that may ultimately be happening, too.