Rick Carlise and Doris Burke have each had an incredible amount of staying power in basketball. Carlisle has been an NBA head coach since 2001, and his 23 seasons in the top spot on the bench rank 12th in NBA history.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said it was “sad” to see Wednesday’s report from The Athletic speculating on Doris Burke’s future in ESPN’s top NBA broadcasting booth before the 2025 NBA Finals tipped off.

News broke on Wednesday that Doris Burke's future as a broadcaster at ESPN is not secure.  On Thursday, ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle sung the praises of the broadcaster as someone who has "changed the game" and inspired women in and out of the sports broadcasting industry.