ESPN’s Doc Rivers gamble could blow up in their face

With Doc Rivers on the verge of potentially becoming the Bucks coach, his stay as one of the voices of the NBA Finals for ESPN may be over before it really started.

It would be stinging for the network because one of the reasons ESPN, according to sources, let go of its longtime analysts, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, was because of their desire to coach again.

Van Gundy, Jackson and play-by-player Mike Breen called 15 NBA Finals together. Van Gundy called a record 17 NBA Finals. While they interviewed for coaching jobs, they never left.

Upon hiring Rivers, ESPN executives stressed to him that they didn’t want the network to be a waiting room until he took his next coaching job. 

The Athletic reported that Rivers has already consulted with the Bucks this season in effort to help now-fired coach Adrian Griffin, which is a conflict in its own right.

Rivers was fired by the 76ers this past offseason. 

With Rivers potentially out and Van Gundy and Jackson fired, ESPN has Breen and Doris Burke as their lead NBA team.

Executives could stick with that duo for this year’s Finals. Burke will become the first woman ever to be a TV analyst on a major sports championship.

If ESPN promoted an analyst to join Breen and Burke, JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson would be the top candidates.

Before the year, ESPN’s executive in charge of the NBA, David Roberts, anointed Redick, Jefferson and play-by-player Ryan Ruocco as the network’s No. 2 team with an eye on the trio potentially calling the Finals one day. 

Breen signed a four-year extension this offseason, which was added to the two seasons he already had, meaning he is inked to be ESPN’s top game-caller through the 2029-2030 season.

ESPN’s contract with the NBA  is up after next season, but it is anticipated that it will continue broadcasting the league beyond that with a good chance it keeps all or part of the Finals.

ESPN declined comment.