ESPN was not kidding when they said they were planning major layoffs and that no one was safe. Jalen Rose, who has been a mainstay of their NBA coverage for around a decade, has been let go according to a report.
“ESPN has let go of NBA Countdown’s Jalen Rose, The Post has learned. Rose, 50, had been on ABC/ESPN’s top NBA broadcast for a decade, which was especially impressive because of the amount of changes the network has made over that time,” the NY Post said on Friday.
The 50-year-old former NBA player had seen his role reduced in recent years after his daily show with David Jacoby was canceled in 2022.
Awful Announcing’s Andrew Bucholtz has more on Rose, who was let go along with Jeff Van Gundy and others.
As with Van Gundy, this is a cut of an extremely prominent long-time ESPN figure. Rose had worked at ESPN since 2007 in some form, first as a college basketball game and studio analyst and as a NBA analyst for platforms including SportsCenter, then as the co-host of the Jalen and Jacoby TV show/radio show/podcast with David Jacoby from 2011-2022, as a NBA Countdown analyst since 2012, as a launch host of Get Up in 2018, and as a regular figure on other ESPN studio programming over the last decade-plus.
The news that Rose’s time at ESPN was over led to some strong reactions and defenses on social media.
Van Gundy and Jalen Rose? Are they trying to suck
— chris long (@JOEL9ONE) June 30, 2023
This take is loud and wrong https://t.co/EXjq0XWHPE
— chris long (@JOEL9ONE) June 30, 2023
Wow Jeff Van Gundy and Jalen Rose were let go by ESPN. That’s crazy and unbelievable!! https://t.co/p5AyA0iD68
— Tadi Abedje (@realTadiAbedje) June 30, 2023
We all need to agree to stop calling ESPN the Worldwide Leader, right? Jalen and JVG are great talents, looking forward to seeing who scoops them up. #GoBlue https://t.co/wYI3RL08A7
— Mark Graham (@unclegrambo) June 30, 2023
Lot of good people at ESPN getting let go https://t.co/kS8Y9hmOgk
— The Anonymous Nobody (@el_budget) June 30, 2023
https://twitter.com/AlexCSinger16/status/1674796775847370760
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.