OKLAHOMA CITY — Moments before the start of what could be Doris Burke’s last NBA Finals as a TV analyst for ESPN, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle offered his unsolicited, passionate support of the veteran broadcaster, arguing she “changed the game” through her career.
Carlisle opened his news conference before Game 1 of the finals by responding to reporting by The Athletic that Burke’s “spot” on ESPN’s main broadcast team was not guaranteed, and that network executives were trying to determine whether she was better suited for a two-person broadcast crew or the three-person team the network prefers for its marquee playoff and finals games.
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“It was so sad to see these reports leaked really unnecessarily before such a celebrated event,” Carlisle said. “Doris is a great example of putting herself out there.”
Burke, 60, will broadcast her second NBA Finals as part of ESPN’s No. 1 team alongside play-by-play man Mike Breen and color analyst Richard Jefferson, who will call his first finals. The Athletic’s reporting suggested this could be the trio’s only finals together.
Carlisle said Burke “paved the way” for several women to broadcasting careers in the NBA, citing them by name, and added his own daughter in college as someone who has been inspired by Burke.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with all that stuff, but I just want to say thank you to Doris for the example that she has put forth for young women like my daughter and all these people who are changing the game,” Carlisle said. “She has changed the game, and that’s the reason that she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame a couple years ago. So I just wanna say that in support of her.”
(Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
