ESPN has laid off one of their longtime announcers, former NBA player Mark Jackson, according to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.
Jackson has been with the sports network since 2006, except from 2011 to 2014 when he accepted the head coaching job of the Golden State Warriors. The 58-year-old promptly returned to the broadcasting booth after being let go by the Bay Area team in May 2014.
The trio of Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen were ESPN's top NBA broadcasting team since May 2007, excluding the years of Jackson's Golden State coaching tenure. They have called marquee regular season and playoff games, including the NBA Finals until the firing of Van Gundy at the end of last June.
Network executives initially wanted to demote to Jackson to the secondary NBA broadcast team with Mark Jones, but they chose to give more booth experience to the up-and-coming JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson.
ESPN still considered keeping Jackson despite of this, but officials concluded that his effectiveness was tied with Van Gundy, who is one of the best analysts in the business.
Read more: ESPN Considering Selling Stakes To NFL, NBA, and MLB For Future Plans
New Top NBA Broadcasting Team for ESPN
After being affiliated with ESPN since 1991, Doris Burke will now be a part of the main broadcast team that will be calling premier regular season and postseason games, as well as the NBA Finals. She will become the first woman to call call a major U.S. men's championship game on television.
Ousted Sixers head coach Doc Rivers will be returning to the broadcasting booth after a brief stint in 2003-04, joining Burke and Breen's team.
Related Article: ESPN Fires Longtime NBA Finals Announcer Jeff Van Gundy
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