JJ Redick to join NBA Finals broadcast team
After Doc Rivers left for the Milwaukee Bucks head coaching job in late January, it was announced Monday that JJ Redick will join Mike Breen and Doris Burke on the lead NBA Finals broadcast team, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
Per Marchand, Redick will join the NBA’s top broadcasting role “for the rest of the season, through the playoffs and the finals.”
Amid Rivers’ departure, it was previously reported that ESPN was “leaning toward” just the two-person booth with Breen and Burke, a duo that worked seamlessly during the 2023-24 NBA regular season for primetime games on ESPN and ABC. Burke will be the first female analyst to broadcast a professional sports championship.
Redick was previously on ESPN’s No. 2 broadcast team alongside Ryan Ruocco and Richard Jefferson. The 15-year NBA veteran has rapidly climbed the color commentator totem pole since retiring after the 2020-21 season. He’s excellent with not only the Xs and Os on the court in live action, but he’s witty and humorous as well–showcasing good chemistry no matter which analyst he’s partnered with.
It is unknown who will fill that third void alongside Jefferson and Ruocco for the rest of the season. Potential candidates (as an idea … this isn’t sourced) could be former Golden State Warriors general manager and current ESPN NBA analyst Bob Myers, Hubie Brown or Monica McNutt, among others.
Over the summer, ESPN fired Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, who were previously alongside Breen after calling 32 combined NBA Finals together. Van Gundy took a role as a consultant on the Boston Celtics’ staff while it is unknown what Jackson is doing after reportedly losing his MSG Network gig in mid-November.
Is this a good move by ESPN to promote Redick? Let us know in the comments!
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