It has been a long time in the making, but the NBA Finals are now finally here! The Mavs have descended upon TD Garden for Game 1 to take on the Celtics. While it’s set to be a momentous one, it is already going into the history books for a separate reason. 59-year-old Doris Burke, who’s been associated with ESPN for over 33 years, becomes the 1st woman ever to serve as a game analyst for any major U.S. men’s professional Championship Final. However, judging from a recent event, her historical moment is not off to a good start.

On Air, while the camera was focused on Celtics star Jaylen Brown, Burke suddenly went on to exclaim, “Kiss me I’m so pretty JJ Redick”. This was a reference to ex-Orlando Magic player and ESPN analyst, JJ Redick, who has popularly been under consideration to become the Los Angeles Lakers’ next head coach. Granted, the 39-year-old is not bad to look at, but the remark from the female commentator came just wildly out of the blue! Before the fanbase erupted, Burke’s colleague had a funny comment to back it up.

Her co-anchor (interestingly JJ Redick may have felt this as well) as he later replied “Chelsea (Redick’s wife) wouldn’t like that”.

NY Knicks faithful also join the rest of the fans to criticize Doris Burke!

The NBA world descended onto social media to share their reactions. One commentator made use of a Russell Westbrook meme to highlight just how shocked he was at hearing Doris Burke’s sudden and unexpected remark!

Before the commencement of the NBA Finals, Doris Burke had spoken out on what being the first woman to call out any major US Championship game meant to her. During an interview with ABC News, she revealed “Anybody calling their first NBA Finals game would probably be nervous, and I think if I allow my mind to drift too much into that space, it will make that nervousness a little bit worse.” Well, we don’t know whether the situation was made worse, but it probably sent a lot of fans into a state of shock.

Another individual highlighted her criticism of the 59-year-old. He proceeded to call out Doris Burke a “terrorist” for allegedly being a nuisance with some of the other NBA franchises, placing particular focus on the New York Knicks.

Back in 2000, Doris Burke, who was in her mid-30s, became the first female to serve as a commentator for the New York Knicks. According to a sub-group on Reddit, fans have been speculating for a long time that Burke allegedly shows favoritism to the Hawks while sideling the Knicks in the process. While there is no substantial proof to support the same, one thing is clear: Burke’s history of being a commentator for her hometown has not won her supporters from all sides.

One individual who caught the brief “Kiss me I’m so pretty JJ Redick” remark criticized Burke for allegedly being ‘aroused’. He stated that he wished to “Mark Jackson and JVG” back not from the next game onwards, but immediately.

Just like JJ Redick, Mark Jackson is a former NBA player who devoted over 17 years of his life to the league, and then an additional three years serving as the coach for the Golden State Warriors. After joining ESPN, he started serving as a broadcast commentator alongside Jeff Van Gundy, his former coach. However, back in 2023, both individuals were laid off, along with 18 others, as part of a huge cut-down initiative by the network to meet fiscal goals. As a result, both Jackson and Van Gundy were not available to host the NBA Finals, leaving JJ Redick and Doris Burke to take their place.

Another NBA fan brought up the same criticism as the above-mentioned individual, stating that “Doris Burke flirting on live television in my ear with JJ Redick” is not a good substitute for Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, especially during the Finals.

According to Andrew Marchand of ‘The Athletic’, the NBA had serious complaints about Jeff Van Gundy’s officiating style. While they took their criticism straight to ESPN, they did not expect that the same would result in his firing. Whether the league played a role in JVG’s dismissal or not, their alleged dislike of the sportscaster indicated that they would be fine with him not commenting.

Overall, the reaction of fans on social media was negative towards the 59-year-old female sports announcer. Doris Burke has not chosen to comment on her unexpected remark yet. Neither has JJ Redick. And neither has JJ Redick’s wife!

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.