The NBA season has begun! That means it’s time to kick off the national sport of ‘Let’s Hate Doris Burke.’ NBA fans thought the media overhaul would mean less Doris. They fell into a fall sense of security when the first days of the 2025-26 season had the voices of Mike Tirico and Ernie Johnson, along with the return of NBA legends like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal across NBC and ESPN. Then, ESPN did a plot twist that fans absolutely didn’t love.

ESPN kicked off its first night of the 2025-26 season with Inside the NBA now on its network. Fans felt the unfiltered addition of Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, and Ernie Johnson fixed what ESPN was sorely missing. For most of it, the unscripted essence of the Inside Guys – their Kawhi joke was a big hit – was intact.

Then came the Thursday schedule. After the Inside Guys handled Tip-Off, fans tuned into the Nuggets vs. Warriors game. And they heard the voice they didn’t want. Along with Dave Pasch and Malika Andrews, Doris Burke was right there, business as usual.

For multiple reasons, her presence was unexpected. Fans were hoping Burke wouldn’t be in the ESPN lineup at all this season. The first two days of the regular season passed with happy GIFs that fans now get ex-ESPN employee, Mike Tirico, via NBC instead of Doris Burke.

Now, social media doesn’t need much reason to hate on the veteran sportscaster. It almost appears that fans are tired of hating her. After the NBA finals this year, they were saturated with Doris. So the reactions were instantaneous but brutal as usual.

Doris Burke gets a cold welcome

Being a part of the NBA finals coverage is a huge career milestone as much as pressure. Doris Burke was not meeting those expectations. Fans don’t like to hear her tone deaf opinions and monotone adjectives. Her bias showed, and labels like ‘unprofessional’ were thrown around.

Her style drastically contrasted her colleagues in the same studio, so that even now, fans say, “Legler with Richard Jefferson and Mike Breen is much better Doris Burke.” 

With Inside the NBA and its heavyweights coming to ESPN, sharing the broadcasting duties with NBC and Amazon, and competing against Michael Jordan’s sportscasting debut at the rival network, the Disney/ABC-owned network had to recalibrate its entire on-air lineup. In August, the news came that Doris Burke was demoted. She would no longer be on the marquee games like the NBA finals, which will now be led by Tim Legler, joining Richard Jefferson and Mike Breen. Fans celebrated the news.

ESPN’s president of content, Burke Magnus, said the decision was made to find the right combination of broadcasters but added, “Again, we’re talking about an A-plus-plus human being in Doris Burke here … There was no coincidence that we extended her at the same time we were putting her with a new partner.”

A new partnership seemingly hinted at by Dave Pasch and Malika Andrews between the Inside Guys’ segments. On a major game when Jokic is taking on Curry & Co., no less. When fans realized, “Doris Burke’s voice has infiltrated my ears once again,” there was another uproar. A game like this was not the one they wanted to hear Burke in, even claiming they tuned out, like, “I have to mute this game already. Doris Burke is absolutely unbearable. They should play her broadcasts at Gitmo.”

All the peace NBC gave on the first day and the humor from the Inside Guys on the second day burst. Given how the Finals went, fans wailed, “Why tf does Doris Burke still have a job.” Now they’re screaming into the void of social media, “CAN WE REMOVE DORIS BURKE ON THE NATIONAL TELECAST PLEASE”

It was to be expected. Doris Burke was only removed from the top ESPN booth. Not laid off like some others. She will be a fixture in this regular season, much to the fans’ dismay.