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When The Walt Disney Company laid off 7,000 employees in an effort to reduce costs by $5.5 billion, several on-air talent at ESPN ended up losing their jobs. Longtime personalities, including Max Kellerman, Suzy Kolber, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were let go by the network as Disney underwent a strategic reorganization into three distinct business segments. Jalen Rose, a longtime analyst for NBA Countdown and former co-host of Jalen & Jacoby, was also among the group that would no longer be appearing on ESPN, leading to a change on NBA Countdown.
Rose, a 14-year NBA veteran and former small forward, recently joined Big Ten College Countdown on NBC and is working with Jordan Cornette and Josh Pastner on the studio program. Additionally, he serves as the head of player relations at Fanatics and is a board member of the National Basketball Players Association Foundation. While Rose is not a member of an NBA network studio program at the moment, he will be filling in this Tuesday on Inside the NBA alongside Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. Rose is stepping in for Kenny “The Jet” Smith, who will not be on the set for the program.
TNT Sports will be showcasing a doubleheader of group play games within the NBA Cup, beginning with a matchup between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks facing Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will then visit Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns for the second game. Rose will return to the TNT studios next Wednesday to participate in an alternate telecast to close out NBA Cup group play as well, which is a collaboration with Genius Sports. Adam Lefkoe, Channing Frye and Kirk Goldsberry will join Rose for the presentation, which will air live on truTV and Max.
As part of a deal with ESPN, Inside the NBA will continue to be produced by TNT Sports following the 2024-25 season despite Warner Bros. Discovery losing live U.S. broadcast rights to the NBA. The show will air on ESPN and ABC surrounding marquee NBA events, including the NBA Finals, Christmas Day and Opening Night among others. Furthermore, TNT Sports is reportedly exploring the creation of an Inside Sports show that would expand its focus to include more than basketball.
It remains unclear if Rose is exploring a larger role with the company or if he is being pursued for a role by NBCUniversal or Amazon’s Prime Video once the companies begin broadcasting NBA games next season. The league’s 11-year media rights deal is valued at a reported $77 billion and implements over-the-air, cable, streaming and digital distribution methods.
