ESPN recently went on a firing spree, laying off 20 on-air personalities from the network. Former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy was among the most shocking names to be sacked by the network.
Jeff Van Gundy had been sharing the booth with Mike Breen and Mark Jackson for years. Van Gundy was known for never holding back in terms of calling out the NBA. ESPN’s Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo believes NBA Commissioner Adam Silver played a role in Van Gundy’s firing. Russo shared his thoughts on his podcast ‘Mad Dog’s Daily Bite.’
“I can’t fathom the idea that ESPN in these layoffs… would fire Jeff Van Gundy,” Russo said. “You’re not going to convince me that ESPN and Bob Iger woke up in the last two weeks, looked at the budget sheet, and said, ‘We gotta fire Van Gundy because we gotta save some money — if that’s the case, fire Mark Jackson.’”
He added: “Fire the both of them. Save real money, bring one guy in, and pay him half. If you really wanted to go out there and save money with your NBA crew, which you could’ve done is fired the both of them and just hired Doc Rivers and paid him half of what those two were making. You could’ve saved a fortune and done a two-man booth. You could’ve easily have done that.”
After claiming ESPN should have fired both Van Gundy and Jackson, Russo continued about a wild conspiracy theory.
“ESPN will never admit it,” Russo continued. “They’re gonna say it’s our call. Nonsense. Why would they get rid of a great team? That team is a great team with Breen…You’re not going to convince me that that team, that everybody likes. Nobody doesn’t like that team. … In this day and age, that team is as good as a team that you’re going to find doing broadcast television doing an event. You’re not finding any better team. You’re not doing it.”
Chris Russo thinks Adam Silver ordered Jeff Van Gundy’s firing from ESPN.
“That leads me to the conclusion that someone in the league office must’ve told ESPN, ‘I want Van Gundy out,’” Russo claimed. “We all know he’s biting. We all know he gets on the officials. We all know he doesn’t hold back with his NBA opinions. He tells you what he thinks, which is what a great broadcaster is supposed to do anyways. What is going on right now in the negotiation scenario? ESPN and NBC and TNT, what are they doing? They’re all negotiating with Silver and the NBA.
“So, if you’re asking me, little talk show host, who may not know a thing, this is just my opinion, Silver is the one who fired Van Gundy. Silver told ESPN, ‘I want him out. You want to do the games in the next contract? I don’t want Van Gundy doing the games. I don’t want him knocking the league. I want a pom-pom guy in there.”
It could all just be a coincidence, but Russo made some valid points in his viral rant. ESPN could have saved a lot more money by firing both Van Gundy and Russo while replacing them with another person.
If there’s even a shred of truth to Russo’s theory, it could look very bad for Commissioner Silver.
Doris Burke Will Join The Booth For The 2024 NBA Finals After Jeff Van Gundy’s Departure From ESPN
Calling the NBA Finals is the ultimate dream for every broadcaster out there. It’s one of the highest honors in the profession.
There’s a report that Doris Burke may replace on the booth to call the 2024 NBA Finals following Jeff Van Gundy’s firing.
If ESPN gives Burke’s selection a green signal, she’ll become the first woman ever to call the NBA Finals. It would be the ultimate honor for Burke, who has had a stellar broadcasting career.
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