Jason Whitlock tears into ESPN over NBA coverage with Doris Burke verdict
In a surprising move, ESPN has announced that lead NBA analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy will be replaced by Doc Rivers and Doris Burke for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
However, this decision has not been well-received by former ESPN employee Jason Whitlock. Whitlock, who now hosts 'Fearless with Jason Whitlock' on BlazeTV, expressed his discontent with the changes to ESPN's basketball broadcasts.
Whitlock, 56, spent a total of six years working for ESPN in two separate stints. Despite his history with the network, he has criticised the decision to have Burke taking over as the lead analyst, reports the Express US.
"I absolutely love Doris Burke; I think she does a really good job - but she is not qualified to be the number one broadcaster on the NBA," he said on Fearless. "And I really like Doris Burke. Give me a break, Steve [Kim, Whitlock's co-host]. Give me a break.
"You're replacing an All-Star NBA player [and] a head coach who mattered in the league for many years. They had great chemistry; they were willing to criticise people during the game during the broadcast."
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While Jackson and Van Gundy have extensive backgrounds in basketball, Burke's career was primarily focused on broadcasting after her college basketball days at Providence College. Whitlock also claimed Burke will struggle to criticise NBA players and coaches because she is a woman.
"You place a woman in this spot - Doris Burke is good, but if you think she's woman enough to criticise these multimillionaire NBA players and coaches, it's not gonna happen. I want to be crystal clear. Don't anyone take me out of context; I like Doris Burke. I think she's good; I think she's a good change of pace.
"[There is] this worship of the athletes, and no one representing anything from a fan's perspective. Everything is about treating these entitled athletes like they're gods. That's what you're gonna get from a female broadcaster.
Doris Burke has been a regular part of ESPN's NBA coverage"When one of those players looks over; and glares; or tries to intimidate; 'What'd you say? What do you know?' And again, I know she played a little basketball, but not in the NBA."
Whitlock continued: "This is my problem with ESPN. What's their slogan? 'Serving sports fans anytime, anywhere?' No decision they make has anything at all to do with serving sports fans," Whitlock asserted.
The 56-year-old added that he believes ESPN's decision to replace Jackson and Van Gundy with Burke and Rivers is driven by a political agenda focused on diversity, equality, and inclusion rather than what is best for the NBA and its fans.
This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up Mirror.co.uk s editorial research. A content editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected].
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