This is the season of changes. And no one is feeling it better than the NBA and everything associated with the league. From sales, to trade, to broadcasting shifts, the basketball is thriving. But while the good things keep happening on one side, ESPN is feeling a storm. Or rather, Doris Burke, for whom Thursday began with a shock.

Andrew Marchand of The Athletic revealed the network plans a bold shuffle. Doris Burke will move out, and Tim Legler will step in. She had risen to the No. 1 broadcast seat with Mike Breen after Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson left their celebrated posts in 2023. Thus, ESPN’s NBA Finals team will now consist of Breen, Legler, and Richard Jefferson.

Most importantly, ESPN declined to comment on the matter. Meanwhile, The Athletic reported that Burke could likely land on ESPN’s second team. Well, looks like ESPN has its plans prepared for the legend. The Athletic further updated: Doris Burke has signed a multi-year extension with ESPN, the network announced. She will be on ESPN’s No. 2 NBA broadcast team with play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch. In 2024, Celebritynetworth.com reported the 59-year-old’s fortune at $4 million, a figure fueled by her reported ESPN paycheck that drops a cool million each year.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer served as ESPN’s lead analyst and covered two straight NBA Finals. In 2024, she became the first woman to work as a broadcast analyst for a major U.S. men’s championship event. Four years earlier, during the Orlando Finals staged amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she broke ground on ESPN radio as the first woman to handle analyst duties for an NBA Finals on any platform.

Yet, controversies never left the 60-year-old’s side. Especially in the 2024-25 NBA season, fans pointed out moments when the broadcaster’s words felt a bit too biased. She called Shai Gilgeous-Alexander “as aggressive as we’ve seen the MVP” after 19 points on 18 shots by halftime in Game 1 of the Finals. Yet her sharp tongue stirred debate. From the “free throw merchant” remark in Minnesota to recent Finals chatter, Burke kept viewers buzzing, for better or worse.

Game 3 of the Finals only intensified the spotlight. Indiana’s bench helped seal a victory, with T.J. McConnell stunning the history books. He became the only reserve since 1973-74 to post at least 10 points, five steals, and five assists in a Finals game. Still, Burke missed his spark, stating, “They have made T.J. McConnell a non-factor until now,” even as he tallied 3 assists in 4 minutes.

Now, let’s take a quick look at the recent happenings of the last few months that indicated a major in the broadcasting scenes at ESPN. Especially around Burke, who now seems to be trying to regain her ground after being dethroned.

ESPN may have given too many signs about Doris Burke’s fate

The network may have steadied part of its roster by securing Richard Jefferson, but July 2025 exploded with a shocking twist. NBA insider Ary revealed, “BREAKING: Doris Burke’s role as an analyst for the NBA Finals broadcast for ESPN is under serious internal review and is expected to be removed, league and industry sources say.” The report sent waves rippling across sports media, raising urgent questions about Burke’s future.

According to Andrew Marchand, the storm brewing inside ESPN came down to chemistry and controversy. Executives were weighing how Burke clicked on air and whether her sharper moments have backfired. The chatter centered on “if they feel Burke is better on a two-person team as opposed to the three-person team.” Marchand added that Burke “hasn’t seemed to mesh as well with Breen,” noting their commentary rarely built together.

Change spares no legend, and Doris Burke is living proof. From shattering glass ceilings to sparking heated debates, her journey shaped the sound of the game. Yet ESPN chose to redraw the map, sliding Tim Legler into the Finals spotlight with Breen and Jefferson. The whispers of chemistry, controversy, and bold choices now hang heavy. For Burke, the next chapter begins where the storm leaves her standing.