Mike Breen, the lead play-by-play announcer for the NBA on ESPN and longtime voice of the NBA Finals, has reportedly agreed to a four-year extension that will be added on to his existing contract at the network.
The deal begins taking place in two years, a time when ESPN has yet to secure broadcasting rights for the NBA and when the network reportedly expects to have a direct-to-consumer product on the market. News of the deal was first reported by Andrew Marchand of The New York Post.
Breen joined ESPN in October 2003 and worked with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson on 15 NBA Finals broadcasts, a dynamic broadcasting trio that was broken up during the offseason because of layoffs at the network.
The 2023-24 campaign marks the first season where Mike Breen is working alongside Doris Burke and Doc Rivers, part of several changes on the network’s NBA coverage. Breen recently called his 100th NBA Finals game and is slated to reach 20 instances of calling the Association’s championship series with ESPN at the conclusion of the 2024-25 regular season.
In addition to his national responsibilities with ESPN, Breen continues to serve as the play-by-play voice of the New York Knicks on MSG Networks. For those games, he works with analyst Walt “Clyde” Frazier, who will be backed up by the aforementioned Jackson this season.
Dave Roberts, head of event and studio production at ESPN, oversees NBA coverage and revealed that part of the reason the network implemented a secondary broadcast booth was as a succession plan down the road. The lineup consists of Ryan Ruocco, who calls women’s college basketball and the WNBA on ESPN, along with JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson.
