Courtesy: ESPN
NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson shocked the sports world this week when he announced that he had made the decision to part ways with ESPN. He released a statement explinaing that his decision was based on his feeling that he was unable to balance his commitment to ESPN and everything else going on in his life. He added in his statement that despite his departure, the split was amicable on both sides. His official statement reads as follows:
“I love ESPN. Unfortunately, due to the nature of my schedule and other commitments, I don’t feel confident that I can continue to devote the time needed to thrive in my role. I will always feel a strong connection to the ESPN family and I enjoyed working with them very much. I’d like to thank John Skipper, John Wildhack, Mark Gross, Kim Belton, Amina Hussein, Mark Summer, Adam Hertzog, Bob Rauscher, Stuart Scott, Mike Wilbon, Jon Barry, Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons, Chris Broussard and the many others at ESPN for the wonderful opportunity to talk about the game I love. They are the best in the business. “
John Wildhack, ESPN Executive VP of Production released a statement Thursday offering praise for Johnson and noting that the network has already started weighing its options for a commentator for the upcoming NBA season. Wildhack noted in his statement: Earvin “Magic” Johnson informed us today that he’ll no longer be part of our NBA coverage due to his other commitments. We appreciate Magic’s contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors. We are in the process of determining our NBA commentator roles for the upcoming season.
Jonson’s announcement comes only days after ESPN announced the signing of fellow NBA veteran Doug Collins to help cover its NBA broadcasts during the 2013-2014 season. Collins is just the latest acquisition for ESPN’s NBA coverage. A number of other veterans have already been signed, too. More on this and other stories is available online at http://www.facebook.com/NBAonESPN and http://espn.com/nba. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.
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