On the court, the NBA Finals are set to be a crowning achievement for one of the league’s two best players in Mavericks star Luka Dončić or Celtics frontman Jayson Tatum. But the series also represents a pinnacle for two people on the sideline: lead ESPN game analysts JJ Redick and Doris Burke. 

The duo are calling their first NBA championship series as No. 1 TV color commentators. Burke has been in ESPN’s top booth alongside play-by-play man Mike Breen all season, while Redick joined in February, getting the call-up from Bristol power brokers after Doc Rivers left to coach the Bucks. 

It’s the latest accomplishment for Redick, who has become one of the fastest-rising stars in sports media since retiring in 2021 after 15 seasons in the league. Redick makes regular appearances across ESPN’s studio shows and is the founder of ThreeFourTwo Productions, which has backed several athlete-hosted podcasts, including his own. The Old Man and the Three with Tommy Alter has been running since ’20, and this spring Redick launched Mind the Game with LeBron James.

So, given his success already, where does calling the NBA Finals rank? Front Office Sports asked Redick during a preview call for the series. “This is absolutely the apex of calling NBA games,” he said. “Once I started calling games, it was always the goal. It happened a little faster than I thought it would.”

Hello … Goodbye?

Now, the irony is that Redick himself has been linked to head coaching vacancies across the NBA. In April, he reportedly interviewed for the Hornets job. The team eventually hired former Celtics assistant Charles Lee. More recently, Redick has been widely linked to being a strong contender for the Lakers’ head coach opening. Even reporters from his own network, ESPN, have talked about the possibility. Redick hasn’t refuted any of the reports, but he wouldn’t comment on a potential future in coaching during ESPN’s NBA Finals call.

Like many retired athletes, Redick may miss the thrill of competition. But is fulfilling that urge worth giving up much of what he has accomplished off the court early into his post-playing career? “I am a fan of this sport,” he said. “And I think about watching Finals when I was growing up, watching Finals when I played, playing in the NBA Finals in 2009, and these are just, like, iconic moments, and I get to be a part of this. I get to be a part of documenting history.”

The dust is settling on Real Madrid’s long-awaited signing of French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé (above, left), who is leaving Paris Saint-Germain, but there’s still plenty to unpack off the pitch. The move brings an official end to a complicated, years-long saga involving billions of dollars and the most powerful entities in the sport.

What We Know

Mbappé’s new contract at Madrid, this year’s LaLiga and UEFA Champions League winner, is for five years, with the player taking home roughly $16.3 million annually in salary, after taxes, on top of getting a $163 million signing bonus, according to ESPN. He is also due to receive 80% of revenue from his image rights associated with new commercial deals, compared to the standard 50% for most players, which could boost his earnings significantly. 

In 2022, Mbappé signed an extension with PSG that The New York Times reported would pay him at least $75 million in salary over the course of his contract, after taxes, in addition to a $125 million bonus. The Frenchman had played for PSG since ’17, when the Ligue 1 powerhouse paid a $195 million transfer fee to acquire the then teenager from AS Monaco.

What Could’ve Been

While all of those numbers are staggering, they still fall short of last summer’s $1.1 billion offer for Mbappé. That came from Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, which was willing to pay PSG a transfer fee of roughly $330 million and give Mbappé around $770 million for one season of service. However, amid the SPL’s run on top European players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, Mbappé chose to stay put and forgo the unprecedented payday.

In the end, Mbappé’s journey is a huge financial win for Madrid, which brings on one of the world’s best players at no additional cost. Last year, the Spanish club paid more than $100 million to sign midfielder Jude Bellingham away from Borussia Dortmund. And the move is a clear loss for PSG, which doesn’t recoup any monetary prize for the exit of Mbappé. That was also the case when Lionel Messi left for Inter Miami a year ago, although PSG did not have to pay a transfer fee for the Argentine legend in 2021.

Moreover, beyond the recent Saudi interest, Madrid made several attempts to sign Mbappé in 2021, with reports at the time suggesting a transfer fee approaching $200 million was on the table.