For 15 years, Cassidy Hubbarth has been an ESPN stalwart. Joining the network just a handful of years after graduating college, the Evanston, Ill. native became a respected presence on the network's NBA coverage throughout the league's 2010s mini-golden age.
Now, as basketball enters a new media era, Hubbarth is moving on. She is headed to Amazon to become a face of the platform's NBA coverage, and Wednesday's play-in tournament game between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls was her last on ESPN.
As the Heat's blowout win wound to a close, announcers Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson took turns praising Hubbarth.
Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson pay tribute to Cassidy Hubbarth at the end of her final NBA broadcast on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/qugtKus1kp
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 17, 2025
"Cassidy has been such a dedicated professional, a wonderful teammate, and most importantly, as kind and caring a friend as you could possibly have," Breen said.
"She's a pro's pro," Burke added. "You’ve become a star, Cass, when you go make a little more, work a little less—see some good things in the industry. You are a star among stars."
Jefferson, too, expressed gratitude to Hubbarth for making him feel welcome as he broke into the media world, saying "she's gonna do outstanding at where she's at next."
Moved nearly to tears, Hubbarth thanked her colleagues before modestly deflecting attention back to the game.
"I still have a postgame interview! You can't make me cry right now," she said. "I love you guys. ESPN has allowed me to grow and nurture my career in so many beautiful ways.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Crew Pays Adorable Tribute to Cassidy Hubbarth During Final Network Broadcast.
