Doris Burke has been synonymous with NBA coverage for multiple decades. In the 2000s, she achieved a lot of “firsts” for a female broadcaster when she started to call New York Knicks games on the radio. In Game 1 of the 2024 Finals, the 59-year-old added another feather to her cap and became the first woman to call an NBA Finals Game. She also became the first woman to call the tournament round of a major men’s sports league.
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On that occasion, LeBron James showed his admiration for Burke in this historic moment. His Mind the Game co-host JJ Redick soon followed suit. Redick, who is Burke’s colleague at ESPN, also called the first Finals game of his broadcasting career. But he couldn’t be more thrilled about Burke’s historic achievement.
While downplaying his own accomplishment, Redick drew attention to the veteran ESPN analyst. After the Boston Celtics’ Game 1 win at home, the 39-year-old joined SportsCenter and said,
“I just wanna say how proud I am of my teammate Doris Burke who made history tonight, calling this NBA Finals game. I am a newbie, I called my first tonight, its meaningless in the grand scheme of things. [But] what she did tonight was historic.”
“I just wanna say how proud I am of my teammate Doris Burke… I called my first NBA Finals tonight, it’s meaningless… What she did tonight is historic.”
JJ Redick congratulates DB on becoming the first woman to call a major men’s championship on TV 🙌pic.twitter.com/nQaXTT2OSw
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 7, 2024
Burke’s eyes had watered up a little after receiving such high praise from her coworker. She had been a sideline reporter during the NBA Finals and had dabbled as an analyst on numerous occasions. Her work enabled her to nab a significant role. This is why LeBron James couldn’t help but shower praises on the incredible announcer.
LeBron James appreciated Burke’s journey
Before the NBA Finals Tip Off, NBA on EPSN’s official X handle announced that Doris Burke is the first woman to feature as a broadcaster for any major men’s professional championship event.
LeBron James, who has given scores of interviews to Burke, quote-tweeted the announcement and wrote, “Important moment for our sport tonight. Love and respect to DB and everything she does to elevate all of us! You’re a *GOAT emoji*! ”
Important moment for our sport tonight. Love and respect to DB and everything she does to elevate all of us! You’re a 🐐! 🙏🏾🤎🫡 https://t.co/eckUkkP2Bk
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 7, 2024
This milestone encapsulates the growing acceptance of women’s voices in the sports world. Doris Burke has been at the helm of this transformation and her efforts have been rewarded in the long run. Thanks to her incredible achievements, modern sports voices are also building a strong reputation and can end up nabbing significant roles in the future.
