Amid recent reports that Doris Burke could lose her seat on ESPN’s top NBA broadcast team next season, Richard Jefferson is making clear where he stands on his colleague’s future with the network.
Jefferson appears set to stay with ESPN and will reportedly be re-signed after his contract is up. The same can’t be said for Burke, whose spot is not guaranteed according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
In a sweet gesture of solidarity for his teammate, Jefferson showed up to Friday’s Game 3 of the Women’s College World Series between Texas Tech and Texas in a t-shirt that read, “My Favorite Broadcaster is Doris Burke.”
Jefferson proudly displayed the shirt during his guest appearance on the SEC Network pregame show, and then during the game when the cameras were on him, he flaunted it once more to make sure viewers could read exactly what his shirt said.
Burke, who was sitting near Jefferson for the game, seemed to appreciate the kind gesture.
Days ago, Rick Carlisle had a similarly supportive gesture for the much-talked-about Burke.
Jefferson, Burke and Mike Breen are currently slated to call the 2025 NBA Finals, but after that the trio’s future together is more or less uncertain. Even if ESPN were to demote Burke, it’s unclear who they would call up from their bench (or if they would go with a two-man rotation) with former top analysts JJ Redick and Doc Rivers having left the booth for coaching jobs.
It’s sad to think Burke, the first woman to serve as a TV analyst for a major men’s American sports championship, could be calling her last NBA Finals for ESPN this year. The network has faced scrutiny for its questionable personnel decisions in recent history, but hopefully, they make the right one with Burke.
