There are no hard feelings from Mark Jackson.
After being laid off in July as part of ESPN’s dramatic restructuring, the former NBA analyst wished “nothing but the best” for his replacement in Doc Rivers.
“I wish Doc nothing but the best,” Jackson told TMZ Sports in an interview.
“He’s a Hall-of-Fame coach. A tremendous guy. And he’ll be great.”
Two-thirds of the crew for ESPN’s NBA Finals team has changed over this offseason, with Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy being replaced by Rivers and Doris Burke.
Play-by-player Mike Breen is staying in the role, which he’s held since 2006.
The wide-ranging layoffs also affected Jalen Rose, Suzy Kolber, Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson, Matt Hasselbeck and Steve Young, among others.
The company looked to cut big-name talent in order to save the jobs of folks behind the scenes who don’t make as much money.
But it is still willing to spend big at times, as seen with its addition of Pat McAfee, who signed a five-year, $85 million deal with the network, per The Post’s Andrew Marchand.
Rivers has not been in the booth for almost 20 years, but commentated the 2004 Finals alongside Al Michaels before he started as the Celtics’ head coach.
Jackson, who coached the Warriors from 2011-14 before taking the ESPN job, told TMZ he’s not sure what’s next.
Jackson was regularly linked to coaching jobs for a few years after his Golden State exit, but those once-annual rumors have since died down.
“It’s going to work out,” he said. “Figuring it out now. But the next move will be my next move. Excited about what God has for me.”
