The NBA season is set to tip off on Oct. 24, and Doris Burke will be making history throughout it.
She is the first woman to ever be a part of ESPN's lead announcer trio, and will be the first to ever call the NBA Finals on television. That's just a few years after she became the first woman to ever call the NBA Finals on ESPN Radio.
Burke officially got the role in August, joining fellow Hall of Famer Mike Breen and former NBA head coach Doc Rivers. But her ascension to the top team came at the expense of two of her friends, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. Both of them joined Breen on the broadcast for at least 15 years.
Related: ESPN's new-look NBA broadcast team set to make debut
On a podcast episode of "Sports Media with Richard Deistch," Burke recounted how she learned her name was in the hat to join ESPN's top team. She said she didn't remember the date, but that she just saw on X (formerly Twitter) that after Van Gundy was let go, Rivers and other ESPN colleagues Richard Jefferson and JJ Redick were considered candidates.
"But my agent let me know that I, too, was in the mix," Burke said.
She then met with Dave Roberts, ESPN's head of events and studio production and recalled very assuring sentiments from the executive.
"I also remember the last line was, 'We believe you've earned this,'" Burke said. "That was a satisfying thing to hear."
Burke has been with ESPN covering basketball since 1991 and revered in the space for being a trailblazer for women. She was even awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2018.
Related: ESPN exec gives honest thoughts about recent layoffs, other major sports moves
But Burke's ascension to her new role came at the expense of Van Gundy, who is her friend. When asked by Deistch whether Van Gundy had spoken to her about her new role, Burke dodged the question, instead talking about how much he had supported her during other parts of her career.
"When the NBA Finals sideline reporting job ... the first person to call me was Jeff Van Gundy," Burke said. "I know for a fact he pushed back at times at people [who] maybe had some things to say about me being an analyst on the NBA. So I'm always indebted."
Get exclusive access to portfolio managers and their proven investing strategies with Real Money Pro. Get started now.
