ESPN is broadcasting NBA games for a 23rd consecutive year this season, and the announcers set to rotate between games will be familiar to many fans, with the team of Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Cassidy Hubbarth getting joined by Richard Jefferson (at least to start the season). JJ Redick is off the top team given that he’s coaching the Lakers now.
Although we wish we could list the announcers for every game, that’s impossible, especially when there’s some mixing and matching throughout the season.
That said, here’s a look at ESPN’s entire lineup of broadcasters, including play-by-play announcers, analysts and sideline reporters.
Former Net Richard Jefferson had a special moment with the recently deceased Bill Walton, who passed away on Monday at 71 years old.
The Brooklyn Nets are coming off a 2023-24 season in which they finished with a 32-50 record despite beginning the year with a 13-10 record while dealing with some injuries. As Brooklyn looks to improve in the hope of making back to the playoffs next season, there is something to look back at to remember a nice moment in franchise history.
In a recent post on “X” by NBA History, there is a video between Richard Jefferson during his time with the Nets, in New Jersey, and the recently deceased Bill Walton. Walton passed away on Monday at 71 years old after a “prolonged battle with cancer” as described by the NBA during their announcement of his passing.
In the video, Walton, who was working for ESPN at the time in 2002, is asking Jefferson what he expects to do in the upcoming matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. Walton starts off by saying that he wants to “hear some substance” from Jefferson and Jefferson obliges by saying that the Nets were going to win that game.
A funny moment that came up during their conversation was when Walton asked Jefferson if he was going to “throw one down” on Spurs big man David Robinson to which Jefferson said that he’ll probably dunk on Tim Duncan given that Robinson “is getting a little older.”
This video is a testament to what Walton was like as a person, especially when he began his media career following his Hall-of-Fame playing career. Walton touched so many people’s lives during his time in the NBA and in the media and Jefferson is one of the many people who have had a special moment with him.
"I want to hear some heart. I want to see you lay it out."
This moment between broadcaster Bill Walton and Nets forward Richard Jefferson in 2002 đïžđ«¶ pic.twitter.com/osVligwgJZ
Richard Jefferson rants about SGA’s IG post, challenges Warriors to respond.
Occasionally, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander takes to Instagram to celebrate a win or big moment with creative captions. In the biggest win of the season yet over the Golden State Warriors, he continued this tradition.
In the Oklahoma City Thunder’s overtime win, the All-NBA guard collected 40 points, seven rebounds and six assists. This included 10 points in OT to secure the road victory.
In his latest Instagram post, he captioned it by saying “I was feeling like e-40 in the Bay, so i had to go dumbbbbb”
Throughout the 10-photo/video slideshow, sharp eyes noticed that several slides featured plays where Gilgeous-Alexander humiliated Steph Curry on the court.
Some have interpreted this as Gilgeous-Alexander taking a subtle shot against Curry following a season-defining win. After this was spotted, the IG post took over social media and trended.
SGA really posted this after dropping 40 on Steph and the Warriors đ
When discussing the Instagram post, ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson challenged the Warriors to respond on NBA Today.
“Shai challenged the entire Golden State Warrior organization. He challenged their entire fanbase. He challenged everything in their existence. That’s what he’s saying,” Jefferson said. “…Make no mistake that these were direct shots and so now we get to sit back instead of saying, ‘Well…’, — no, these were direct shots at the Golden State Warriors. Their team, their organization and their fanbase. What are you gonna do about it?”
âShai challenged the entire Golden State Warriors organization, he challenged their entire fanbase, he challenged everything in their existence.â
Iâm sorry but this is getting so ridiculously blown out of proportion lol. All this over an Instagram post? đpic.twitter.com/vtYRAFkMw5
The Warriors might have to stay patient in order to respond to Gilgeous-Alexander’s post-win trash talk. The Thunder won the season series, 2-1 after taking both games at Chase Center.
Unless they meet in the playoffs or play-in tournament, the next time Curry and the Warriors can play Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will be next season.
Richard Jefferson says his former teammate LeBron James will end his NBA career with a truly staggering amount of points.
This past season, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time leading career scorer, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. With 38,652 career points under his belt, the question is how much higher will that figure get before his career is all said and done?
It is anyone’s best guess how many more years James will play and at how high a level he will be able to perform. He has stated he wants to play with his son Bronny, who can be drafted into the NBA as early as next year, but how much longer would he want to remain in the league afterward?
Former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Richard Jefferson said on a recent episode of the podcast “Road Trippin’ “ that LeBron James will play three or four more seasons and reach 45,000 career points. Jefferson even went as far as saying no one will surpass James’ career scoring mark for a long time (h/t The Sports Rush).
âI think he is going to play three, four (more) years. What I am saying is that (expletive) is going to score 45. LeBron James is going to score 45,000 points. Look, we are being generous on the early, thinking it might be not as pretty on the back end, so we are saying 65 games, 25 points, we know it can be more, whatever. So, yes, that record is never going to be broken. I’m sorry, that is one that, in our lifetime, we know that that player does exist, so we can say in our lifetime we are not going to see it.â
Perhaps someday his mark will be surpassed, especially given how much medical science continues to advance. But it is safe to say that mark will be safe for at least some time, no matter what number it ends up being.
âThey will get into the play-in tournament,â ESPNâs @KendrickPerkins says of the new-look #Rockets. âThis team needed culture, and theyâve got culture. This is a great starting point.â
The Rockets didnât land all three of their preferred veteran targets entering 2023 free agency. Big man Brook Lopez spurned them at the last moment to re-sign with Milwaukee.
But they added a new starting point guard, Fred VanVleet, and a gritty, hard-nosed defensive wing, Dillon Brooks. Thatâs a strong starting point as new head coach Ime Udoka looks to take Houstonâs young roster to the next phase of its ongoing rebuild.
General manager Rafael Stone also added depth on the interior behind third-year center Alperen Sengun. Jock Landale and Jeff Green offer steady hands and in Greenâs case a veteran voice.
On Mondayâs episode of NBA Today on ESPN, current league analysts and former NBA players Richard Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins offered rave reviews to Houstonâs 2023 offseason to date.
Among Jeffersonâs comments:
You need a Dillon Brooks on your team. While he made some mistakes, I think it was a failure of leadership in the Memphis organization. A lack of veterans and leadership in that organization, and it wasnât just with him. We saw it with other players, and these are just the things that we knew about.
I want Dillon Brooksâ competitiveness, and I do believe Ime Udoka will get rid of some of the fluff. I love this. I think this team is play-in, at worst. Theyâre going to be battling for those playoff spots.
Perkins responded:
They needed adults in the room, and they will battle every single night. They will get into the play-in tournament. This team needed culture, and theyâve got culture. This is a great starting point.
It was actually Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant that put Memphis on the map, when we first recognized them as one of the young up-and-coming teams.
âI also like the Jeff Green signing at one-year, $6-million,â fellow ESPN panelist Ramona Shelburne said. âDenver, I think they never moved off a minimum (salary) for him. I think thatâs a loss for Denver, and a real pickup there for the Houston Rockets. Because when you talk about adults in the room, enter Uncle Jeff.â
While debating about the NBA on ESPN earlier this week, Richard Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins had quite the exchange.
As Jefferson tried to make a point, he began by saying, “We’re splitting hairs here …”
Perkins interrupted: “You’re not splitting hairs ever.” Then, of course, he started laughing so hard. Quite a way to roast someone with a shaved head.
But then, cameras caught Jefferson’s reaction, which was a very quick, very serious staredown, and that became a meme, which Jefferson also responded to. The whole thing is very hilarious and worth checking out:
Richard Jefferson gives his honest reaction to Ben Simmons being ruled out for the rest of this season.
The Brooklyn Nets announced on Tuesday that they have ruled guard Ben Simmons out for the rest of this season because of a nerve impingement in his back, according to multiple reports. While the news isn’t entirely shocking, it is still sad to see someone with so much talent either underperforming, suffering through injuries, or in Simmons’ case, a combination of the two.
Simmons has played just 42 out of a possible 75 games for the Nets this season as he has dealt with a variety of injuries mostly related to his knee and back. In those 42 games, Simmons has averaged just 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 56.6% from the field. For comparison, his career averages are 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game while shooting 56% from the field.
Simmons has been one of the more polarizing players in recent NBA history. He was once regarded as someone who had the potential to become similar to all-time NBA great LeBron James because of Simmons’ combination of physical profile and skill set. However, after being a three-time All-Star as a Philadelphia 76er, Simmons has been one of the more disappointing stories of players falling from grace. Here’s what former NBA player and current NBA commentator Richard Jefferson had to say about Simmons:
“We’ve seen players with all the talent in the world not make it. We’ve seen players with all the talent in the world decided to just move on and step away from the game. So, when I look at this situation with Ben Simmons, yeah we root for every player. I have not met a player that I don’t root for the best. But, when you ask me about Ben Simmons, I know a lot of guys like that. Because this is what we do. This is what we’ve done. I wasn’t the best player on my AAU team. I wasn’t the best player on my college team. A lot of guys don’t make it out. If this is his story, and this is how it finishes, then I wish him the best. I wish him nothing but love and I wish that he just continues and lives his life.”
While Celtics fans have an issue with his occasional duds, the level Tatum has been playing at when focused leaves little to be desired.
For many around the NBA, the steady growth of star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been a revelation.
For fans of the Celtics, the St. Louis native’s development from rookie wunderkind to rising star to superstar is no surprise — and that sentiment is shared by NBA analyst Richard Jefferson.
Jefferson recently opened up about the former Duke star’s growth as a player on an episode of the popular ESPN show “NBA Today.” He said he believes Tatum has become the player he is today right on schedule. The comments came soon after the Boston star logged his second career triple-double against the Dallas Mavericks.
While Celtics fans have an issue with his occasional duds, the level Tatum has been playing at when focused leaves little to be desired as one of the best stars in the league.
Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what Jefferson has to say about the Celtics forward and his ascent into one of the NBA’s best players.
Richard Jefferson, a former teammate of LeBron James, says the four-time MVP isn’t one of the Lakers’ all-time greats.
LeBron James is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in NBA history, and many consider him one of the three greatest players in league history. But his ranking among the greatest to play for the Los Angeles Lakers is more questionable.
It is mostly because he joined the team as a 33-year-old, but also because other than winning the 2020 NBA title, his tenure with the Purple and Gold has been disappointing.
Richard Jefferson, who played with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers several years ago, recently said James isn’t one of the best to ever wear the Purple and Gold.
“A former teammate of LeBron James recently said that he doesnât believe the Los Angeles Lakers superstar currently should be considered one of the franchiseâs all-time greats.
“Richard Jefferson, who played with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers, made the claim.
“‘LeBron James has not done enough as a Laker to be on that list,’ Jefferson said. ‘Bron been there now â this is his fourth season, right? Theyâve been in there four seasons. Two years, they havenât made the postseason. One year, they lost in the first round. And one year, they won a championship.'”
James’ time with the Lakers isn’t over yet, and he could end up playing a few more years with them, depending on how his contract extension talks go.
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The Akron, Ohio, native could very well add another world championship to his Lakers resume if the team makes a bold move to improve the roster around him. That would certainly elevate him a notch in the eyes of others when it comes to where he ranks in the franchise’s storied history.
Former New Jersey Net Richard Jefferson has been training and finally got to officiate his first NBA game.
Richard Jefferson was called for over 2,600 fouls in his career in 17 NBA seasons, now he’s officiating games after training throughout the summer.
Jefferson refereed during the second-quarter of the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers NBA summer league game. He credits his willingness to officiate is due to his “tremendous amount of respect” for referees.
âI didnât want to do this. The NBA asked would I be interested. I have such a tremendous amount of respect for the referees, how important they are to the game and Iâve always treated every single one of them as such. I just respect them because I know their importance to our game and to the integrity to our game.â
He continued, âItâs been amazing because I love the game of basketball. I like talking about the game of basketball so now I get an opportunity to learn a whole new piece of the game. Thatâs like my dream, for a basketball junkie, to sit in there and see how the referees think, how they talk, how they act, how they work together as a team. That type of stuff to me is so beneficial.â
Jefferson has been training with NBA officials throughout the offseason, learning the responsibilities of the three-team officiating crew.
Why do this? 1. Tremendous amount of knowledge about our game that Iâve learned sitting in classes with the best refs in the world 2.I do this because not many people would dare put themselves in this position. The more info I have the more informed I am as a broadcaster đ«Ą
