"It’s gonna be weird": JJ Reddick hails Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Breen and Mark Jackson as an iconic trio as their era came to an end
The basketball world was shocked when ESPN laid off Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, two of its most revered play-callers. Mike Breen, the legendary commentator remains, but the iconic trio has been broken up.
JJ Redick, one of ESPN’s rising stars, had this to say about the stunning decision to let go of Jackson and Van Gundy:
“I felt like Mark [Jackson] and Jeff [Van Gundy] and Mike [Breen] is such an iconic team. And they’ve been on the call for so many historic moments, at least historic moments in my generation. So it’s gonna be weird.
“It sucks. It’s my first time in this world going through this cycle, it hurts to see people you work with and care about lose their jobs. Most of them will be fine.”
JJ Redick — who joined ESPN in 2021 as analyst — told FOS that he believes next season’s NBA broadcasts will “be a little weird” following the network’s layoffs.
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Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen were the voices calling the plays of 15 editions of the NBA Finals. Breen’s exclamatory “Bang!” is easily one of the most recognizable expressions in sports. Jackson’s “Mama, there goes that man,” is underrated, but just about as iconic as Breen’s.
Van Gundy is a little less expressive, but he provides some of the best analysis in games. The former New York Knicks coach also has a dry sense of humor that never fails to entertain basketball fans.
MIKE BREEN: “It’s been an honor and a privilege, gentlemen. For Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, I’m Mike Breen. Signing off.”
MARK JACKSON: “As a wise man once said: it’s not goodbye, it’s see you later.”
JEFF VAN GUNDY: “What happened?”
ESPN is reportedly looking at Doris Burke and former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers as replacements.
Mark Breen had this to say in an interview about the exits of Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy:
"I’m amazed at how well they deal with these things and it’s one of the reasons why I’ve always looked up to them and how they handle stuff. It wasn’t a surprise to me how they handled it with such grace."
The 2023 NBA Finals was the last championship called by Jackson, Van Gundy and Breen
The 2023 NBA Finals was the 15th championship series called by the iconic trio. No one expected it would be the last championship round they commentate on together.
Breen said in an interview that the recent Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat will carry special meaning in his heart.
He said:
"We came off a Finals that we were so proud of. It was another Finals together and it was really a great story of Denver winning for the first time and we were on a high after it was all done so to come to grips with that was our final telecast is hard."