Denver’s recently-ousted coach gets a TV gig; TNT’s Roland-Garros schedule comes into focus; Julie Foudy out at ESPN; and more.
Michael Malone joining ESPN’s WCF coverage
Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone — who was fired with three games remaining in the regular season — will join ESPN’s pregame and halftime coverage of the Western Conference Finals as a studio analyst, it was reported Monday.
The ESPN studio shows “NBA Countdown” and “NBA Today” will be on-site for the conference finals for the first time since 2022. Live editions of will air from Oklahoma City and Minneapolis beginning with Game 1 on Tuesday. Malika Andrews will host both shows.
The Nuggets, under the leadership of interim head coach David Adelman, were one game away from reaching the WCF without Malone before Sunday’s defeat in Oklahoma City.
TNT announces French Open schedule
TNT Sports announced Monday its full telecast schedule for its first year of covering Roland-Garros in the US. In the first three rounds, TNT will air featured singles matches from 5 AM to 5:30 PM each day, while truTV will air “The Rally at Roland-Garros”, featuring whiparound coverage and studio analysis.
Beginning in the Quarterfinal round, TNT will air most singles matches, while truTV covers the doubles events. Both networks will air the finals on June 7-8. Max will provide complete streaming coverage of all courts, and will also offer Multiview functionality. View the full broadcast schedule here.
Julie Foudy out at ESPN
Former USWNT captain Julie Foudy will depart ESPN after more than 20 years with the network, according to Front Office Sports. Foudy was the network’s lead women’s soccer analyst, including for the FIFA World Cup in 2011 and 2015. Foudy also worked matches for the men’s World Cup in 2006, becoming one of the first women to do so.
ESPN’s major soccer rights have diminished in recent years as ESPN passed on Major League Soccer, FIFA and UEFA events, and rights to the US national teams, leaving the 2007 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee without major assignments. Foudy has not worked for ESPN’s NWSL telecasts since resuming coverage in 2024. She has worked USWNT games for TNT since they took over rights in 2023.
Outside of soccer, Foudy regularly worked ESPN’s coverage of the Little League World Series and Special Olympics. Netflix owns US television rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cup; Foudy would appear to be a logical hire for the streamer.
Plus: Treavor Scales, NHL, NASCAR
— Treavor Scales will join ESPN full-time as a SportsCenter anchor beginning Tuesday. Scales will host various editions of the program from Bristol. Scales previously worked for the network beginning in 2013, hosting a number of digital programs including “SportsCenter on Snapchat”. Scales left the company in 2021 to become a studio host for Atlanta Braves and Hawks telecasts, and worked for The CW’s college football broadcasts.
— ESPN will air its “The Point” NHL studio show on the flagship network as a direct lead-in to game telecasts for the Western Conference Finals. In previous years, “The Point” has aired in the daytime or on ESPN2 while “SportsCenter” leads into the game. Steve Levy will host all editions of the program.
— Amazon’s Prime Video will not run full-screen commercials during green-flag racing portions of its five NASCAR Cup Series races, set to begin Sunday with the Coca-Cola 600, according to Sports Business Journal.