News broke Wednesday that Doris Burke’s future as a broadcaster at ESPN is not secure.
On Thursday, ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle sung the praises of the broadcaster as someone who has “changed the game” and inspired women in and out of the sports broadcasting industry.
Carlisle made his comments just hours before Burke was slated to call Game 1 between the Thunder and Pacers for ESPN alongside Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson. On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported Burke’s spot with ESPN is not guaranteed beyond this season.
From the report headlined: “How ESPN messed up its NBA Finals TV trio:”
“While ESPN intends on re-signing Jefferson, it has not yet locked him up with his contract expiring, according to sources briefed on the talks. Amazon Prime Video has expressed some interest in Jefferson, according to the same sources.
“Meanwhile, Burke’s spot is not guaranteed for next season, according to sources familiar with ESPN’s preliminary plans. While Breen, the Basketball Hall of Famer under a long-term deal, is not going anywhere, ESPN will evaluate its entire roster.”
Carlisle, apparently having read the report, spoke about Burke in the moments before his Pacers were scheduled to tip off against the Thunder for the NBA championship. He cited Burke as an example for professional women everywhere, including his college-aged daughter.
“I saw the things that were leaked yesterday about Doris Burke,” Carlisle said. “And I just want to say a couple of things. She has changed the game for women in broadcasting. I have a daughter who just turned 21. She’s in her second year at UVA. She’s not in the basketball industry.
“But Doris is a great example of courage and putting herself out there. It was just so sad to see these reports leaked, really unnecessarily before such a celebrated event.
“Doris is a friend. I’ve asked her many times, when is she getting into coaching? She has such great knowledge. And so, there are many women who she has paved the way for.”
Doris Burke will call the NBA Finals for ESPN alongside Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Mitchell Leff via Getty Images)
Carlisle went on to name women in sports broadcasting who have made their names covering teams in local markets across the NBA.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with all that stuff,” Carlisle continued. “I just want to say thank you to Doris for the example that she has put forth for young women like my daughter. … She has changed the game. And that’s the reason she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame a couple of years ago.”
Burke truly is a trailblazer who has many significant firsts on her “résumé,” including the first woman to serve as a full-time analyst calling NBA games for a network and the first woman to call an NBA Finals for a major network on both radio and TV.
If her future at ESPN really is uncertain, it would mark a significant sea change at the network that Carlisle eloquently laid out Thursday night.
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