Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Mike Breen finally broke his silence about the departures of his longtime co-announcers Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson on ESPN's main broadcast team for the NBA.
"It's sad because we really thought we had something special and ... we were able to do it a lot longer than anybody ever did...It's something we'll all treasure, but we just wish it was a little bit longer," Breen told Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.
The 62-year-old added that the booth shakeup was unexpected because it was such a great team, and to have it wholly broken up was a complete surprise. Breen, Van Gundy, and Jackson became ESPN's go-to team for marquee regular season and playoff games in 2007.
Breen and Van Gundy have called all games of the NBA Finals for the past 17 editions. Meanwhile, the trio had covered 15 Finals since Jackson missed the 2012 and 2013 editions due to a head coaching stint with the Golden State Warriors.
Van Gundy was let go by the sports network during their first round of layoffs at the end of June, while Jackson's firing occurred earlier this week.
Read more: ESPN Fires Mark Jackson, Promotes Doris Burke and Doc Rivers in Booth Shakeup
Breen is a Hall-of-Famer
Mike Breen was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021 for his contributions to the sport with his iconic voice.
Doris Burke and Doc Rivers are set to join Breen as ESPN's top broadcasting team for the NBA this upcoming season.
Related Article: ESPN Fires Longtime NBA Finals Announcer Jeff Van Gundy
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