After calling the NBA Finals for ESPN last season, JJ Redick was excited to learn that Richard Jefferson recently took over his old role. On Monday morning, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that ESPN officially added Jefferson to their top NBA broadcasting crew, where he will join play-by-play announcer Mike Breen and co-analyst Doris Burke for their Finals coverage this season.
Redick, who previously called games with Jefferson on ESPN, shared his thoughts about the decision during a meeting with reporters at Lakers practice. When asked about Richard replacing him on ESPN’s top broadcast team, Redick humorously remarked, “Well, first of all, I think they picked the wrong person.” He continued, “I’m thrilled for him. He deserves it. He’s someone who, I say this all the time about him, he was born to do television. Probably more so than being born to be a basketball player. He’s just got a natural ability. I’ve been around him for four years in that space, he just works and works at his craft. He’s dedicated to it. I’m happy for him and I think that’s a great crew.”
JJ Redick was asked about Richard Jefferson replacing him on ESPN’s top broadcast team and naturally took some jabs at his friend:
“Well first of all, I think they picked the wrong person.”
“He’s someone who, I say this all the time about him, he was born to do television.… https://t.co/Y41clzDCHq pic.twitter.com/rfNhCbPLBj
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) February 24, 2025
JJ Redick mentioned that he learned about Jefferson’s promotion before it made headlines, sharing that Breen and Burke informed him just before the Lakers’ Saturday night game. Redick had teamed up with Jefferson and Ryan Ruocco for years, and last season, ESPN designated them as their official B-team, with the potential to elevate them to the lead broadcast crew in the future. However, that plan was disrupted when Doc Rivers left ESPN to coach the Milwaukee Bucks, resulting in Redick joining Breen and Burke for the Finals.
Following his promotion, JJ Redick transitioned from broadcasting to coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, which prompted ESPN to test various analysts alongside Breen and Burke during the first half of the season. Ultimately, ESPN arrived at what seemed like the most logical conclusion by officially making Richard Jefferson the third member of its lead crew.
