Watching sporting events at home, while convenient, has a downside. You don’t get the experience of being in the stadium and surrounded by the atmosphere. The solution to guide you through the game and capture what’s happening has been the inclusion of sports analysts who provide commentary on the action, aiming to put viewers in the stadium or arena.
The best commentators can bring an additive experience, but those who are new or less experienced can sometimes struggle to connect with fans. Typically, viewers help decide when a commentator’s time behind the mic is done, even if that person isn’t ready to take a step back. Disney’s coverage of the NBA on ESPN and ABC has been led by a commentary team featuring Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson.
Reports ahead of the 2025 NBA Finals suggested that ESPN was considering benching Burke for future NBA coverage. This came as a shock since she was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as the 2018 Curt Cowdy Media Award winner. This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in basketball writing or broadcasting.
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Here is more on Burke’s situation at ESPN.
Is Doris Burke getting demoted by ESPN?
Burke has come under heavy criticism during the Finals. While this is unfortunately to be expected on social media with people hiding behind their keyboards, critiques of Burke rose above the normal levels seen on social media. Most people didn’t point to anything specific, just saying that she needs to be removed.
The calls for her removal only intensified when an article from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand was released on June 4. It began by talking about the staffing changes that ESPN made in 2023 when the company decided to let go of Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, who had led its NBA commentary. ESPN chose to replace that duo with Burke and Jefferson to complete its three-person commentary team.
Breen is under a long-term deal. Jefferson is on an expiring contract, but ESPN wants to keep him if Amazon Prime Video doesn’t poach him. Burke is under contract, but her spot isn’t guaranteed, according to Marchand’s sources.
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Part of the problem could be that ESPN is considering going back to a two-person commentary team for basketball instead of having three people. Burke’s history has been as part of two-person teams, largely, while Breen has been in charge of three-person booths. One criticism of the current format is that it doesn’t always seem like Burke and Breen have meshed well in commentary.
Doris Burke demotion rumors reactions
The news of the potential demotion from NBA Finals coverage hasn’t been a secret. It went around on social media, and this has led to her co-workers and others from the sports world championing for her.
Jefferson was with Burke at the 2025 Women’s College World Series, and his shirt read, “My favorite broadcaster is Doris Burke.”
🏀🤝🥎 @ESPNNBA Finals analyst @Rjeff24 joined @SECNetwork SEC Now before #WCWS Finals Game 3, showing his support for Softball and his booth-mate Doris Burke pic.twitter.com/dtxygjyu9g
— Ben Cafardo (@Ben_ESPN) June 7, 2025
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle also talked about her situation. Here’s what he said after the reports leaked right before the NBA Finals:
“changed the game for women in broadcasting. 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. I’ve asked her many times, ‘Why don’t you get into coaching?’ because she has such great knowledge. There are many women who she’s paved the way for. “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 she has put forth for young women like my daughter. She has changed the game. That’s the reason she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame a couple years ago.”
Burke hasn’t spoken directly on the situation. She had a podcast appearance recently where she thought she said she always thought she was doing a good job when both teams were mad at her.
““Usually, I can tell I feel like I’m doing a decent job when multiple fan bases are pissed off at me… at various times, Boston fans think I hate them, Knicks fans think I hate them, Sixers fans, and now Oklahoma City’s like, ‘why doesn’t Doris like SGA?’”
Beyond that, though, Burke hasn’t addressed it, and it will likely be something to watch next season.
