Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said it was “sad” to see Wednesday’s report from The Athletic speculating on Doris Burke’s future in ESPN’s top NBA broadcasting booth before the 2025 NBA Finals tipped off.

The Athletic reported Doris Burke, who has been with ESPN since 1991, could be removed from the three-person Finals broadcast team.

Disney's coverage of the NBA on ESPN and ABC has been led by a commentary team featuring Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson. Reports ahead of the 2025 NBA Finals suggested that ESPN was considering benching Burke for future NBA coverage.

ESPN's three-person booth of Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson is set to call the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers starting on Thursday, June 5. According to The Athletic's Andrew Marchand,

There’s been a lot of recent debate about ESPN/ABC’s production of the NBA Finals. Well, that game production will be in new hands next year, with this marking Tim Corrigan’s 18th (more than anyone else) and last Finals as producer.

The future of the booth featuring longtime play-by-play voice Mike Breen and analysts Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson is up in the air, as Burke’s spot “is not guaranteed for next season” and Jefferson is on an expiring contract, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported Wednesday.

For the third straight season, ESPN will feature a different three-person broadcasting crew for the NBA Finals, as Richard Jefferson debuts alongside fellow analyst Doris Burke and play-by-play ...

ESPN may move on from their NBA Finals trio of Doris Burke, Mike Breen, and Richard Jefferson after the 2025 season. There is a chance that the 2025 NBA Finals is the only time ESPN utilizes Doris Burke,

He joined the SEC Network pregame show dressed in a “My Favorite Broadcaster is Doris Burke” shirt while being interviewed by Haylie McCleney, Tori Vidales and Alyssa Lang. Jefferson and Burke head the broadcast team for ESPN and ABC’s NBA coverage, along with play-by-play voice Mike Breen.