ESPN is taking measures to bolster its NBA coverage.
NBA front office insider Bobby Marks will remain a studio analyst for ESPN in the coming years. The network announced on Wednesday that Marks has signed a multi-year extension to remain at ESPN.
Marks has taken on an outsized role for the network since the sudden departure of former NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski last September. In speaking to Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal, Marks says he’s broken more news in the three months since Woj left than he has in his previous seven years at ESPN.
“How the relationship with Woj worked was he was certainly our primary news breaker, and then I would kind of come out on the top and say, ‘How does this impact the team? How does this impact the player? What is next with the team?'” Marks told SBJ. “And I’m still doing that; that role hasn’t changed at all here. But there is also an element where I am more comfortable, and certainly, as we’ve seen since he left in September, where I can go out and break news.”
Marks sees himself as a complimentary piece to Shams Charania, ESPN’s new lead NBA insider. “My role is basically to kind of be the setup man,” Marks said.
Prior to joining ESPN, Marks served as a front office insider for Yahoo Sports after spending 20 years in NBA front offices. His most recent NBA job was as an assistant general manager for the Brooklyn Nets.
Given his experience, Marks serves a slightly different niche than the Shams’ of the world. He’s able to go deep on NBA salary cap structure and player contracts when it comes to roster management. That’s a valuable space to fill, and not one that too many TV personalities have the knowledge base for.
With ESPN’s new investment in Marks, it’s reasonable to expect his role will continue to expand at the network.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.