Former ESPN NBA analyst Mark Jackson will not be calling New York Knicks games on MSG Networks this season after the team decided not to allow him on its chartered plane. ESPN laid off Jackson and lead NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy in a round of talent cuts over the summer, splitting the iconic broadcast trio featuring play-by-play announcer Mike Breen.
If the deal with MSG Networks had been finalized, Jackson would have filled in for Walt “Clyde” Frazier on select games throughout the 2023-24 regular season, but that is now no longer to be after the decision from team management. News of the outcome was first reported by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, along with a statement he obtained from a spokesperson at MSG Networks that read, “We weren’t able to work something out this season.”
The report states that Knicks team president Leon Rose ultimately made the call not to allow Jackson on the team’s plane, along with the hotel or team bus. He was reportedly expected to call the Knicks matchups on the upcoming road trip and would not have made extra money since he was being paid an offset of what he was still owed from ESPN.
Current Knicks assistant coach Darren Erman was fired by Mark Jackson when he coached the Golden State Warriors in 2014. A subsequent ESPN report revealed that Erman had discretely taped Jackson and players without their knowledge. Jackson went on to admonish the actions and called them “inexcusable” during his final year leading the team.
MSG Networks reportedly expressed interest in both Jackson and Van Gundy throughout the offseason, and the network was able to come to terms with Jackson on a deal. Conversely, Van Gundy joined the Boston Celtics as a senior consultant, ending his media endeavors after working for ESPN over parts of 16 years. The regional sports network, which is owned by Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., never officially announced the deal from Jackson, but several publications stated that a deal was close.
While the New York Post report states that Mark Jackson could have found alternate means of transportation and lodging on the road trips, that alternative does not seem to be coming to fruition. Wednesday night’s Knicks game against the Atlanta Hawks features color commentator Wally Szczerbiak, who is frequently featured within the team’s studio coverage, along with play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson. The voice of Big Noon Saturday makes his return to MSG Networks after previously working for the entity from 1994 until 2010 as a play-by-play announcer and studio host.
