ESPN is having a major shakeup after firing numerous sports icons and thousands of other employees. Steve Van Gundy, Jalen Rose, Steve Young, and Suzy Kolber are just among the 20 commentators laid off in 2023 alone. It did not take long for ESPN to let go of another influential analyst, NBA legend, and the former Golden State Warriors coach, Mark Jackson. But, Why is Mark Jackson leaving ESPN? Is this his decision or was he fired by the company?
Why is Mark Jackson leaving ESPN?
Unfortunately, the legendary point guard will join Steve Van Gundy and others as a member of the previous ESPN layoffs. Mark Jackson himself announced on his official Instagram and Twitter accounts that he was let go by the company and that his “services were no longer needed at ESPN”. In his statement earlier, Jackson explained how he received the information of being fired by the network.
“This morning, unexpectedly, I was informed that my services were no longer needed at ESPN. Although shocked and dismayed with the suddenness of it all, I would like to thank ESPN and all the staff of the NBA ESPN crew for allowing me to be a part of the organization for the past 15% years. I would also like to thank the NBA fans watching at home and in the arenas throughout the league for all of your support. To the NBA, a heartfelt thank you for allowing a kid to continue to accomplish his dreams.”
— Mark Jackson (@MarkJackson13) August 1, 2023
Mark Jackson was one of the best point guards in the NBA during the ’90s. With more than 10,000 career assists, Jackson is the sixth in the all-time assist leaders list. The 58-year-old personality joined ESPN in 2006 after retirement. In the early 2010s, he worked as a coach after and then moved on to become a sports analyst and commentator once again. After his stint as the Golden State Warriors head coach, he took the part alongside Steve Van Gundy and Mike Breen as ESPN’s main men. For more than a decade and a half, Jackson has had phenomenal lines that we can all remember such as “Mama, there goes that man” and “Allow me to have this dance”.
Unfortunately, due to ESPN’s plan on cutting jobs, (which is mandated by the network’s mother company, Disney) Jackson being fired is inevitable
Moreover, there were rumors that Jackson was only being demoted and that he could continue working as a commentator on ESPN, but with another group Honestly, Mark Jackson’s memorable and iconic commentaries would be missed, especially during the NBA Finals.
ESPN now has a new trio: Mike Breen, Doris Burke, and Doc Rivers
After letting go of Mark Jackson, news broke out that ESPN is making a new trio for the NBA broadcast team. The network will replace Steve Van Gundy and Mark Jackson with Doris Burke and Doc Rivers. Rivers, who was just fired as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers a few weeks ago, will join Mike Breen and former courtside report Doris Burke.
Meet ESPN’s New Big 3:
Mike Breen
Doc Rivers
Doris Burke“ESPN is closing in on promoting Doris Burke to the NBA Finals, hiring Doc Rivers to join her and jettisoning Mark Jackson to the “B” team or off the network, The Post has learned. In the wake of Jeff Van Gundy’s… pic.twitter.com/vAI6eGAYfr
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 31, 2023
The question here is what’s next for Mark Jackson? Well, since he is not part of ESPN anymore, he could pursue being a head coach to an NBA team again. There are open spots right now and he is definitely a great coach, someone a contender would surely want on their team. However, Jackson could also con sider joining TNT, alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. Again, those are just my two cents and it’s still up to the basketball icon what would be his next step moving forward.
What do you think of this article? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us here at Spiel Times. Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications and never miss an update. You can also follow us on Spiel Anime, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Until next time!
