NBA Hall of Famer Among Contenders for JJ Redick’s Old Job at ABC/ESPN

Four lead contenders have emerged to replace former 15-year NBA sharpshooter-turned-ESPN and ABC analyst JJ Redick during ABC’s NBA Finals broadcasts going forward, writes Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.

Redick, in a bit of a surprise, opted to depart his growing media empire this summer for a gig as the new head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. That move makes this year’s NBA Finals, between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks (which Boston won in five games), Redick’s one and only Finals commentating experience.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Redick agreed to a deal worth an estimated $8 million annually. Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the former shooting guard got a four-year agreement with L.A.

One big caveat about the length of that contract, however: no coach since Phil Jackson has lasted longer than three seasons with the Lakers — and Jackson coached the club while former owner Jerry Buss was still alive.

Read More: Magic Johnson Weighs in on Lakers’ Hire of JJ Redick

Hall of Fame former NBA small forward/shooting guard Grant Hill, who’s currently a TNT broadcaster and a partial owner of the Atlanta Hawks, is the biggest hoops name among the bunch. Across an 18-year pro career, the former Duke sharpshooter was a seven-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA honoree.

In 1,026 regular season contests, the 6-foot-8 swingman logged averages of 16.7 points on .483/.314/.769 shooting splits, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks a night. Hill suited up for the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, and L.A. Clippers from 1994-2013. He transitioned from an All-Star scorer into a 3-and-D role player after incurring a series of injuries while on the Magic.

Former 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers champion Richard Jefferson had been floated as a potential Finals commentator prior to Redick’s selection to the most recent crew, which also included longtime broadcasters Mike Breen and Doris Burke.

Marchand notes that ESPN/ABC might consider temporarily trotting out just Breen and Burke in its broadcast booth, but the company reportedly does want a third name. ESPN refused to comment on the reports to Marchand.

Legler is very Redick-esque, a longtime NBA sharpshooter who has become one of the most analytical basketball minds in broadcasting.

Although Bilas never played an NBA minute, he is one of the network’s longest-tenured college hoops commentators and a beloved presence at the NBA Draft.

Prior to Redick at the start of the 2023-24 season, former All-Star point guard-turned-champion head coach Doc Rivers had been slated to provide Finals commentary alongside Burke and Breen, but he departed midseason to take over for the fired Adrian Griffin with the Milwaukee Bucks. Amid injuries to All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the No. 3-seeded Bucks were upset in the first round by the Indiana Pacers.

Adding an entertaining ex-NBA player to a dynamic duo of career broadcasters seems like perhaps the most sensible move. Of course, that applies to Hill, Jefferson and Legler, while Bilas was a standout during his own Duke years.