Doris Burke on calling NBA Finals: ‘I am sort of mindful that there is something meaningful here’

By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer

Doris Burke will become the first woman to serve as a game analyst on television for a championship final in one of the four major professional U.S. sports leagues when the Dallas Mavericks meet the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Burke, who joined ESPN in 1990, has covered the finals since 2009. She was a sideline reporter for ABC’s coverage from 2009 to 2019 before working as an analyst on ESPN Radio for the past four finals. Burke knows this year’s assignment is different.