Commentators are a big part of any sport. They can even add substance to a game that makes your eyes bleed. It goes so deep that Mike Breen’s iconic BANGs make tremors across the States. It takes a lot to get to that pedestal. But even in the reputed careers of Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson, there are already mounts for them to be fired from their jobs. Why?

Well, the biggest and most recent one was when Doris gave a risky pronounciation of the word “Knickerbockers”. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how she might’ve said it. But the perception of the fans really tipped it over the edge. “Richard Jefferson and Doris make my ears bleed. Waste Mike Breens greatness,” said a fan on X, and is probably the best way to put it.

Doris is pretty respected in the community. So these speculations might be a little over the top. But the biggest cause of the outrage is due to ESPN’s failure to bring in an elite NBA commentary booth in recent years. And the heat Doris is picking up is a lot more related to a level of biasness she shows towards for the Knicks. One fan even said “ESPN is going to come back from halftime and Dorris Burke is going to have a Jalen Brunson jersey on” during the Celtics-Knicks series.

But why are they suddenly getting the heat? They have reputed careers that would make them legends in some sports. That should count for something right? This arguement goes back to ESPN’s failure to produce quality talent for game commentary. Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson eventually replaced veterans Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. And their dismissal from the booth sent the country into a spiral.

ESPN under fire for the firing of Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson

“I think whenever you get let go of a job, the sting is — and it’s happened to me before in coaching — the sting stays there,” said the 63-year-old Van Gundy to The Lowe Post, sending shockwaves to the NBA community. Van Gundy was the one to change the perception of ESPN commentators. In all sense of the words, he was the chosen one. But ESPN’s decision to fire them last year and replacing them with Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson really put them in a sticky spot.

“I’ll never forgive the NBA for taking away Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson for… Doris Burke #NBAPlayoffs,” said a fan after Burke’s recent fire. It seems like the rest of ESPN is struggling to reach the perception of Mike Breen and Van Gundy. But there’s more.

What really tipped the fans over the edge was the fact that the Clippers‘ lead assistant coach turned down coaching jobs in the NBA to stick to TV commentary. “I got let go by ESPN, and I re-visited it with Brad. And, he was great. We had talked about everything about this consultancy position, from G-League to coaching, a lot of different things,” he said to the NY Post.

It’s safe to say that the public view of Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson has really changed recently. A couple of bad takes and calls of bias stuck, and that ruined what could’ve been legendary careers. Maybe not like those of Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, but close enough.