Report: JJ Redick Will Join ESPN's NBA Finals Broadcast, Replace Bucks HC Doc Rivers

After Doc Rivers departed the broadcasting desk to return to the sidelines as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, ESPN reportedly has found his replacement.

According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, JJ Redick will join Mike Breen and Doris Burke on ABC/ESPN's NBA Finals broadcast team.

The move continues a rapid rise in the media sphere for Redick. The 15-year NBA veteran began his podcast The Old Man And The Three while he was still playing and joined ESPN upon his retirement in September 2021. He began as an analyst on shows like First Take and quickly transitioned to calling NBA games.

Ahead of this season, Redick was named to ESPN's No. 2 NBA broadcast team with play-by-play man Ryan Ruoco and fellow former NBA veteran Richard Jefferson. Marchand noted that David Roberts, the executive who oversees ESPN's NBA coverage, "said that trio could one day be an NBA Finals grouping."

Marchand also pointed out that the elevation of Redick now raises the question if ESPN will leave Ruoco and Jefferson as a duo or add a third analyst. Marchand predicted that Bob Myers will likely receive more games going forward.

The former Golden State Warriors general manager has worked as a panelist on NBA Countdown this season, and Marchand reported that top ESPN executives feel that he "has already validated their decision to give him such a lofty perch as a rookie network analyst."

The changes to ESPN's broadcast team are a continuation following the firings of longtime lead NBA analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy this past summer as part of the company's layoffs. Burke is set to become the first female TV analyst to call a major U.S. sports championship when the NBA Finals begin in June.