ESPN confirms new NBA on-air team

ESPN today confirmed its coverage plans for the 2023-24 season.

NBA Champion Head Coach Doc Rivers will join Doris Burke and Mike Breen to form the new lead commentator team.

Rivers and Burke replace Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, who were released due to cost cutting measures at ESPN.

The trio, along with reporter Lisa Salters, will call the NBA Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, NBA Playoffs, Christmas Day and the NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC series.

The team will make its debut during ESPN’s opening week of NBA coverage in October.

Malika Andrews, the host of NBA Today and Wednesday editions of NBA Countdown, will now host all of ESPN and ABC’s NBA Countdown shows, including NBA Finals pregame and halftime broadcasts.

She will be joined throughout the season by Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, and Adrian Wojnarowski.

ESPN has also formed a second core NBA broadcast team for the new season. It will pair play-by-play voice Ryan Ruocco with analysts JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson.

The trio will call the NBA Sunday Showcase series on ABC, plus work together for other marquee events throughout the season and into the NBA Playoffs.

ESPN play-by-play commentators Mark Jones and Dave Pasch will also return to call NBA games in 2023-24.

Cassidy Hubbarth, Monica McNutt, Katie George, Rosalyn Gold-Onwude and Jorge Sedano will serve has reporters during the new season.