'Shocked and Dismayed' Knicks Ex Mark Jackson Comments on ESPN Departure
Mama, there goes that man.
Former New York Knicks star Mark Jackson's time presiding over the biggest games the NBA has to offer came to an end this week, as he confirmed his departure from ESPN/ABC's coverage. Jackson, 58, had been part of the networks' top grouping alongside play-by-play man Mike Breen and fellow analyst Jeff Van Gundy, the latter of whom was likewise let go in ESPN's plethora of layoffs earlier this summer.
Having begun a 17-year with the Knicks as a first-round pick in 1987 (and winning the ensuing season's Rookie of the Year award), Jackson took to Instagram in the aftermath of his departure. In his farewell post, Jackson expressed disappointment yet carried gratitude and nostalgia for his time behind the Worldwide Leader's top NBA gameday desk.
"Although shocked and dismayed with the suddenness of it all, I would like to thank ESPN and all the staff of the NBA ESPN crew for allowing me to part of the organization for the past 15+ years. I would also like to thank the NBA fans watching at home and in the arenas throughout the league for all of your support. To the NBA, a heartfelt thank you for allowing a kid to continue to accomplish his dreams."
Jackson joined the broadcasting business a few years after his final NBA contests with the Houston Rockets in 2004. From 2007 through this summer, Jackson, Breen, and Van Gundy narrated almost every edition of the NBA Finals, a streak interrupted only by Jackson's time as head coach of the Golden State Warriors in 2012-13.
The post of gratitude singled out Breen and Van Gundy, as well as the trio's most recurring sideline reporter Lisa Salters and his producer Tim Corrigan, the latter headlining members of the staff and crew "that may have never been seen on camera."
"It has been an honor to sit beside two LEGENDS in the business, who are like brothers to me, Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy, and learn so much from them," Jackson said. "Lisa Salters is a GOAT and like a sister to me and I'm so proud of the work she continues to do."
In closing, Jackson wished his successors luck. Breen will be retained in the play-by-play seat while longtime ESPN analyst Doris Burke and recently-departed Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers take over Jackson and Van Gundy's seats.
"I wish greater measures of success to the new ESPN team," Jackson said. "May they continue to elevate this game that has given me a home and a life. I leave ESPN with nothing but gratitude, all the while knowing my highest praise goes to God! Through it all, He has always sustained me and His grace allows me to know that there are greater blessings ahead."
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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