The latest trend in network broadcasting seems to be a hiring frenzy for retired superstar athletes. FOX signed Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Alex Rodriguez for its MLB coverage. Also, Tom Brady as its lead NFL game analyst. Wayne Gretzky and Pedro Martinez are in the studio for TNT’s NHL and MLB broadcasts, respectively, while Martinez also works for MLB Network. CBS recently hired Russell Wilson to replace Matt Ryan on The NFL Today. Plus, for its return to the NBA, NBC added Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady to work alongside Maria Taylor. The trend also includes longtime NBA studio stars Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley.
ABC and ESPN’s Tim Legler is the exception to the rule. Legler enjoyed a solid NBA career but was hardly a front-line star. After graduating from La Salle in 1988, he played in the CBA before eventually reaching the NBA with Phoenix, Utah, Golden State, Dallas, and Washington. His biggest claim to fame as a player was winning the 1996 Three-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend.
Legler never came close to winning an NBA championship, but this year he has emerged as the media star of the Finals.
An ESPN analyst since 2000, Legler has taken center stage on ABC’s coverage of the Knicks-Spurs series, showing the basketball world just how good he is. In both pregame discussion and in-game analysis, Legler has been absolutely brilliant. He has thrived as part of the three-man booth alongside Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson.
Listening to Legler is like sitting in a tense coach’s huddle. He emphasizes the finer points of the game.
Dig Into The Details
For example, while previewing Game 3 of the series, Legler discussed how the Knicks spray the ball around the floor in search of the most open shot, regardless of who takes it. His words were backed up by a graphic showing that in Game 2. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 points for New York. Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson each added 20, OG Anunoby contributed 17, and Landry Shamet chipped in 13.
Legler is part playground and part statistician. He walks the fine line between old-school basketball and modern analytics without dismissing either. He is one of the best in the business at breaking down not only a game, but also the individual plays and players that shape it. Legler is finally getting a chance to showcase his talents at the highest level. Especially, with a New York team in the Finals drawing a massive audience.
He does not possess the glibness or flash of a Kendrick Perkins, Barkley, or even Jefferson. What he does possess is basketball knowledge that meets or surpasses that of any contemporary.
Legler has always been the workhorse of ESPN and ABC’s basketball talent roster. In baseball terms, he would be the valuable utility player who appears in 150 games while handling four or five different positions. Legler earned an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002, and that comes as no surprise. He always brings a businesslike approach to his analysis. This down-to-earth, workmanlike style does not always thrive in the gaudy world of NBA broadcasting. However, anyone who thinks Legler is not ready for prime time is sadly mistaken.
As it turns out, prime time had better be ready for him.
Legler has been especially sharp discussing the physical play of the Spurs throughout the series. Specifically, he has highlighted how Stephon Castle attacks the basket aggressively and waits until the defense commits before releasing his shots. Legler knows all about timing. On replays, he recognizes that he has only a limited amount of time to make his point. Legler consistently packs as much information as possible into those precious seconds.
From Sixth Man To Lead Man
Legler is a hoops Everyman. He is not glitzy like legendary Knicks broadcaster and former player Walt “Clyde” Frazier. In fact, he is more like another 1970s icon, boxer Joe Frazier. Understated, controlled, and calculating.
Legler has also adapted seamlessly to the often-challenging three-man broadcast booth, playing off Breen while sharing airtime with Jefferson. He can go macro or micro in his commentary. Examining the big picture while uncovering the smallest details. That skill has been evident throughout the Finals. In particular when discussing San Antonio’s defense and how the Spurs have effectively limited Towns’ easy scoring opportunities.
Whether it is the finer points of New York’s transition defense or a clever pass leading to a key basket, Legler has been all over it.
One of Legler’s greatest strengths is his ability to avoid the obvious. Of course, he recognizes that Jalen Brunson is New York’s best player, but he has also emphasized the crucial contributions of Anunoby and Josh Hart. Maybe that stems from his own experience as a role player. He spent a decade in the NBA as a three-point specialist capable of changing a game’s momentum with a single shot.
As an analyst, however, Legler is anything but a specialist. He is a Swiss Army knife, capable of hyping a game, praising smart decisions, second-guessing strategy, and identifying the details that often determine outcomes.
Legler has made a living as a professional basketball analyst for more than a quarter-century. But during these Finals, his enthusiasm has felt almost childlike—and I mean that in the best way possible.
Setting His Own Standard
His commentary and analysis have reached new heights while covering a young Spurs team led by Victor Wembanyama and a scrappy Knicks club trying to end a 53-year championship drought. His tone and volume rise with the pace of the action, yet he never gets swept away by a run. Legler understands that a basketball game is a 48-minute proposition filled with momentum swings and emotional turns. He thrives on the heart, passion, and excitement of the sport. Then capturing it in his commentary as if he is ready to leap off the bench and knock down a couple of three-pointers himself.
From the offensive rebounding of New York’s Mitchell Robinson to the team-first mentality of Spurs backup center Luke Kornet to Shamet’s timely scoring, Legler sees the entire floor. He possesses a sixth sense for the game. A rhythm and timing that matches the rapid back-and-forth nature of the action.
This series has delivered classic battles and memorable moments. Viewers are better off with Legler behind the microphone helping bring them to life. He is at the top of his game, bringing the excitement to viewers one play after another.
Jeter, Ortiz, A-Rod, Brady, Gretzky, Pedro, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Melo, McGrady, Shaq, and Barkley may have bigger profiles than Tim Legler. But when it comes to basketball IQ, he is operating at a different altitude.
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John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
