As an NBA enthusiast, have you ever watched a game and just couldn’t ignore getting engaged in and listening to the on-court commentary that is going on? No one can, since it is all part of the NBA experience. Then again, not everyone appreciates it, since a good or bad commentary can change the entire experience of watching a game for anyone. Especially for die-hard NBA fans who want to hear some more expert opinion, but instead receive some disagreeable commentary. It was only yesterday when Cory Alexander was getting belittled on what he had to share. Now, Doris Burke has become the latest target over her opinions, which might also include her recent weird remarks about Kristaps Porzingis.

As the Game 3 matchup between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks continued to be underway, the 60-year-old sports announcer was heard diverting her attention to the Latvian. The quote from her that would have caught the most attention from fans was “Boy, Kristaps Porzingis looks like a guy who hasn’t had consistent minutes in a while. He’s a step slow”.

Well, of course, Kristaps Porzingis is a “step slow”. Any die-hard Boston Celtics fans who have been following the team’s tournament run know that the 29-year-old continues to deal with complications from his upper respiratory illness. It was certainly not a secret, as the illness, which appeared somewhere between March and April, caused Porzingis to miss 11 games in a 14-game span. As Shams Charania reported before the Game 3 tip-off, Porzingis is still dealing with lingering effects of that illness. Despite taking extra steps to recover, his conditioning is still not good.

The fact that Doris Burke was unaware of even this basic information would have served as a catalyst for fans who were already fed up with her commentary. As expected, many of them soon took to social media to make their criticism known.

NBA fans berate Doris Burke over her in-game commentary: “needs to just shut up”

One social media user said, “Great game so far with the exception of the ever completely annoying Doris Burke.  She needs to just shut up”.

This isn’t the first time that Doris Burke has received criticism over her in-game commentary in the ongoing tournament. During a matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers back in March, Burke made a lapse midway through the second quarter when the referee blew the whistle for a foul, sending a Thunder player to the line for free throws. Since it was free throws, Burke ended up assuming it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. After all, the player does carry a reputation of being a ‘free-throw merchant’, and an alleged ability to fluidly draw fouls. However, it was actually Jalen Williams who went on to make the free throws. That mistake in herself earned her some backlash, standing out as another example of the commentator giving opinions without being fully aware of the facts.

One individual wrote, “Man Free Mike Breen ! ! This is torcher listening to Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson paired with the Goat.”

Richard Jefferson happens to be another renowned personality whose in-game commentary does not always win over the crowd. One of his most recent examples came last April, as the former NBA player was calling Game 1 of the First Round series between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers had wrapped up the win, prompting Jefferson to put out a weird theory by stating, “The thing about these 7-game series is the team that loses has the advantage.”

Of course, the comment was taken out of context, but it still earned him some unpleasant remarks on X. Now, for him and Doris Burke to be alongside an individual who has been the lead announcer for NBA games on ABC and ESPN since 2006, including the NBA Finals, was not too appealing to a few fans.

One social media user wrote, “Doris Burke might be worse than Reggie Miller”.

Ah yes, Reggie Miller, yet another former basketball player whose career as an analyst is not without the criticism moments. A GQ article by Jack Moore, published in April 2015, once accused Miller of being “pompous”. He also accused him of being “unnecessarily bombastic” and not knowing what “no pun intended” really means. Miller has also faced allegations of bias for supporting the Lakers over other teams. Therefore, it is certainly something when someone is called worse than Miller.

One individual wrote, “doris burke is the worst thing that ever happened to basketball”.

Well, in her defense, Burke did not get to where she is today without being at least good at what she does. Despite her flaws, she did become the first female to serve as a commentator for the New York Knicks, back in 2000, when she was still in her mid-30s. She also became the first woman to call out any major US Championship game. Unfortunately for Burke, all those achievements are forgotten when she ends up digging a pit for herself with her remarks.

One social media user wrote, “I wish I had a mute button for Doris Burke.” Once again, Doris Burke is not that bad. Although she did create a cringe-inducing moment for several people back in June 2024. During a Celtics matchup, while everything was ‘On Air’, the camera was focused on Celtics star Jaylen Brown. However, from the background, Burke suddenly exclaimed, “Kiss me I’m so pretty JJ Redick”. Right out of the blue, without any context. Granted, the 39-year-old is not bad to look at, but the sudden remark from the female commentator was confusing. Her co-anchor attempted to save things a little bit by replying, “Chelsea (Redick’s wife) wouldn’t like that”. Unfortunately, it did not stop the fanbase from erupting.

Overall, the majority of reactions were not happy with Doris Burke’s commentary. Since this won’t be the last we see of her, one hopes that the 60-year-old eventually grows on NBA fans, or perhaps checks up on the players’ ailments before commenting on their low performance.