ESPN is in the middle of one of its most notable rounds of layoffs, but it also means that new faces will be placed into bigger roles for Disney’s (DIS) -) sports broadcasting arm.
One of the prominent names that was let go during ESPN’s layoffs last week was Jalen Rose, who had been an basketball analyst for the company for over 15 years.
Rose’s replacement on “NBA Countdown,” ESPN/ABC's NBA pregame show, could be Kendrick Perkins. The 2008 NBA champion is a “stronger contender” to join the four-man crew that was manned last season by Rose, Mike Greenberg, Stephen A. Smith, and Michael Wilbon.
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Perkins joined ESPN full-time shortly after retiring from ESPN in 2019 and signed a multi-year extension with the company in 2021. He’s been a fixture on shows like “NBA Today” and is known for his firm and at times outrageous opinions.
But Perkins is reportedly competing with a few other names that could find their way onto the primetime desk -- all of whom are fairly new on-air but have significant professional basketball experience.
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FOS reports that other contenders include Perkins’ fellow “NBA Today” fixture Richard Jefferson, JJ Redick -- who is fresh off his first time as an analyst during the 2023 NBA Draft, and Chiney Ogwumike, the two-time WNBA All-Star currently in the middle of her season with the Los Angeles Sparks.
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