ESPN went through another round of layoffs on Friday, this time with 20 of their highest paid on-air personalities being let go. Word of the layoffs came from Andrew Marchand of the New York Post in the morning, and a slow trickle of names began to emerge.
Two of the longtime faces of the company’s NBA coverage are apparently among the group that had been let go, as Jeff Van Gundy is out as lead game analyst, while Jalen Rose is being let go from his role on NBA Countdown and appearances on the network’s various morning shows, per Marchand. Rose had been at ESPN for over a decade, including 10 years on the Countdown desk where he has been a constant presence while various hosts and other analysts have changed around him.
Now, however, with Jalen & Jacoby ending earlier this year and Rose having a more limited role with the company, his large annual salary made him a target for cuts. Marchand notes the network is high on some of their newer analysts like Kendrick Perkins, JJ Redick, and Richard Jefferson, who figure to be in the mix for Countdown — the latter two of whom are also potential replacements for Van Gundy on game broadcasts.
Rose has been doing sports media for two decades as he was one of the first to begin doing media work while still playing in the NBA, before transitioning full-time to the TV and podcasting world. He figures to have a variety of opportunities from other networks, and may wait to see how this next round of NBA broadcasting contract negotiations go before settling in on a new home for his NBA work.
