Former NBA Countdown host Michelle Beadle has watched what ESPN has done from afar, especially during its layoffs of behind-the-scenes and on-air talent. The network reportedly is shaking up its lead NBA commentary booth going into next season, a move that left play-by-play announcer Mike Breen “sad and stunned.”
Beadle recently spoke with Andrew Cohen of Front Office Sports to describe how its NBA studio coverage compares to TNT, which features Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny “The Jet” Smith on the Emmy Award-winning studio program, Inside the NBA.
“That position and that show has never been allowed to marinate and it’s sort of why you continue to see change,” Beadle said of NBA Countdown. “It’s unfortunate, and it’s why TNT dominates because they’re allowed to marinate for decades and the product gets better with year after year.”
Beadle hosted the show from 2016 to 2019 before Maria Taylor and Rachel Nichols split the role and she was bought out by the network. NBA Countdown was again revamped prior to the 2021-22 season with Mike Greenberg as host and featuring analysts Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon and Jalen Rose. Rose was part of ESPN’s talent layoffs, and his position is expected to be replaced on the program – perhaps by Kendrick Perkins or J.J. Redick. She made the comments while announcing her new basketball podcast, Beadle Royale, on Amazon’s Wondery network, which was divulged to the public earlier today.
The ESPN layoffs, however, have dampened the mood surrounding some of its programming for select talent. Previous reports described an apprehensive environment at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol ahead of the moves, shifting company morale as the network looks for a strategic partner to purchase an equity stake in the brand. The “Worldwide Leader” is also in the process of preparing a direct-to-consumer product launch under the project name “Flagship.”
“It sucks when layoffs happen,” Beadle said. “It’s a tough conversation that people try to have. I know everyone thinks they understand why these things happen, but I don’t think anybody truly gets it.”
