Although Bobby Marks usually does not reply to users on social media, he felt particularly irked by a recent comment from someone who insinuated that there was a reason he worked for ESPN rather than being part of a front office in the NBA. Marks, a former executive of more than 20 years with the Brooklyn Nets, is a front office insider for ESPN where he gives insight into tasks and responsibilities associated with basketball operations. From evaluating the collective bargaining agreement to explaining strategy surrounding scouting and player development, his perspectives have enriched the knowledge and viewing experience of consumers.
Marks recently signed a four-year extension with ESPN under which he will continue appearing across platforms to discuss matters pertaining to the league. Executives at the network initiated conversations about his future several months before his existing contract was going to expire, and he is appreciative that the two sides were able to reach an agreement in December. When news of the deal became public and he became the subject of purported vitriol, Marks chose to speak on why he is a member of ESPN and went on to implore the user to enjoy their day and do something nice for people.
“There’s a long list of things, not just the six or seven that I listed, as far as, ‘Why ESPN?,’” Marks said. “Do I miss the NBA? Yeah, I miss the NBA at certain points of the year, but I love my job. I love the ability to report on something that I love, whether it be the salary cap or trades or roster building or the Draft or giving back to people who are trying to get into this business.”
Even though Marks can see himself back in the NBA in four to five years from the present moment, he is focused on continuing his work with ESPN. While the premise has remained similar, the role itself has transformed over the last seven years. As a result, he has refined the manner in which he communicates to viewers.
“It’s evolved where I can do SportsCenter in the morning on a Wednesday at 7 a.m. and go through the games from the night before, [such as], ‘Why did Victor [Wembanyama] struggle against Giannis [Antetokounmpo]?,’ and give my perspective there,” Marks explained. “I always say that when you get pigeonholed as a cap guy or if you stagnate in your job, then you always become replaceable, and it’s important to kind of continually evolve and try to add something new to what you do.”
One of the new wrinkles to his job over the last several months has been operating in the newsbreaking space. Adrian Wojnarowski, who is widely regarded as one of the preeminent NBA reporters, retired from ESPN and the journalism industry before the season to join St. Bonaventure University, his alma mater, to become the general manager of the men’s basketball program. Marks described the workflow as being nonstop since that time but also emphasized that he had not taken his foot off the proverbial gas pedal beforehand.
“When Woj left in September, I wasn’t like, ‘Oh man, now my insurance policy’s gone,’ and, ‘I’m going to be the next guy’ and stuff like that,” Marks said. “I had enough confidence in myself because I had such a good relationship already with everyone working in there.”
While Marks and Wojnarowski arrived at ESPN together, there were differences in their roles and the experience they had. In fact, Wojnarowski emphasized to Marks that he should leverage his perspective gleaned from working in the Nets front office and viewing trades from both sides. Marks surmises that he offers a vantage point and sense of security that has pervaded those amid the industry.
“I think a lot of front offices kind of seek me out as an ally, as someone [who is] like a voice or an extension of their front office from a media perspective where I can help them, as far as weather it be a trade that happens or a signing, and I can call them and say, ‘Alright, give me a little background on why you made this trade or why you signed the player,’ and I’m not going to say, ‘Well, oh man, they just made a terrible trade. I don’t know why I would do it,’” Marks explained. “But I could say, ‘Listen, this is why they made the trade. They’re going in a different direction here.’”
While Marks was in a hotel room in Los Angeles, he broke one of the most consequential trades of the offseason that resulted in the New York Knicks acquiring four-time NBA All-Star Karl Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Over the last several months, he has engaged in more reporting opportunities but has articulated that he is a screenwriter who is trying to assist everyone in discovering what is taking place around the league. Despite not being the primary newsbreaker at the network, he is available to perform the task should it become necessary.
“Sometimes I know we get in the business where, ‘Who’s first?,’ and you’re keeping a leaderboard and stuff like that,” Marks said. “I just think people care who’s right. They care about who has the right information. Then with the right information, you can give a perspective on why this team made that trade, how it impacted salary cap – all different things there.”
Marks worked with Tim Bontemps on breaking the Towns trade one week before ESPN had officially hired Shams Charania as its senior NBA insider. Before reporting on the deal, he and Bontemps laughed about whether they could assume Wojnarowski’s role, which involved frequent newsbreaking and divulging inside information. Even though he would have been comfortable with a potential change because of his relationship with teams and agents, he regards Charania as one of the best in the business.
“I worked with Shams for two years [at] Yahoo – I hadn’t worked with him in the last seven years here, but I think the biggest thing [is] trusting each other,” Marks said. “We work for ESPN. The goal at the end of the day is to make ESPN look really good.”
Marks does all of his own research, enabling him to divulge his takeaways and opinions on league matters. For example, the Philadelphia 76ers have struggled to compile wins this season, but president of basketball operations Daryl Morey may not have much flexibility to make trades ahead of the deadline. Even though there are instances where Marks knows the questions he will be asked in advance, one of the most valuable lessons he has learned is to be prepared for anything. The point was illuminated when Marks appeared on the NBA Draft Lottery show with a pre-planned answer but scrambled when the script changed in real time.
“I’ve never watched the video, and I was like a babbling idiot,” Marks said. “The train’s off the tracks – ‘I don’t know what I’m going to say’ – so from that day on, I always tell people, and how I prepare is when I’m on TV, I’m having a conversation like I’m at dinner with my family or I’m at dinner with my friends and we’re just talking, but we’re talking about something that I know and that I can kind of share my opinion on.”
Marks has a friend who frequently watches his television appearances and called him last month to express how well he did on an episode of SportsCenter. Yet at the same time, he also offered criticism and persuaded him to try and have fun on the air, going beyond simply delivering the facts. Despite conversation surrounding somewhat ambiguous rules and exceptions, he tries to exhibit his personality and stay attuned with the storylines, none of which he feels are stale.
“Every day you wake up and there’s going to be something different that happens with the NBA,” Marks said. “What motivates me is like, whenever we get a new collective bargaining agreement, that motivates me because I know that I have something to teach people; I have something to tell people out there.”
The Walt Disney Company recently signed a new 11-year media rights deal with the NBA through which it retained media rights to the NBA Finals and will continue its prime time broadcasts during the regular season. The contract, which is reportedly worth $2.62 billion per season, also involves other playoff broadcasts, the NBA Draft and rights within both the WNBA and NBA G League. Marks viewed it as critical that the company retained its relationship with the NBA and is now working under executive vice president of sports production Mike McQuade, who was promoted to the role under a restructuring of the ESPN content organization last summer.
“My role has kind of evolved more where instead of [me] coming on the week of the trade deadline and then the last week of June, you could probably see me once a week – maybe once a week in the morning and doing a variety of shows,” Marks said. “I did First Take for the first time after Christmas, and that was kind of like my baptism, right? I was like, ‘Man, now I’ve made it.’”
Aside from the traditional broadcast rights, ESPN also received the ability to distribute games on its platforms on the Flagship direct-to-consumer service, which is expected to be released this fall. On top of that, the company has the right to launch a new NBA studio show on game nights focused on whiparound coverage of the league. ESPN has explored a similar venture with the National Hockey League, airing several iterations of the Frozen Frenzy studio show following its premiere two years ago.
“I would love it,” Marks said. “Especially if you’re doing it, whatever, once a week and stuff like that, I think if you produce it right, I think that can be a really fun show.”
Marks figures to be entrenched in NBA coverage on ESPN platforms for the next several years as the company maintains its relationship with the league. Whether he is writing an article from his home or appearing on ESPN NBA Today from Los Angeles, he remains fixated on serving consumers with a mélange of distinctive content that blends information, entertainment and engagement. Moreover, he wants to be the best teammate possible for his colleagues at ESPN and maintain positive relationships with those in the Association.
“Would I be lying if I said I’ve closed the book to ever return to the NBA?” Marks postulated. “No, I don’t think that book is closed, but it’s probably something that’s going to maybe open towards the end of this new contract.”
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Derek Futterman is a former associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. Find him on X @derekfutterman.
