Doris Burke fights off tears in heartwarming farewell message to Mark Jones

Sunday, Apr. 12, 2026, was a hard night for ESPN’s NBA broadcasters, Doris Burke and Mark Jones, who called his final game for the network when the Boston Celtics took on the Orlando Magic.

During the broadcast, Burke paid a heartfelt tribute to Jones. They shared their “love” for each other after Burke gave Jones a proper send-off.

“Partner, we’ve got to take a second because tonight, I know your career is gonna continue on after, but after spending more than half your life calling games for this network, tonight is it,” Burke said, “and I just want you to know, everybody involved, in the truck, here courtside, we are honored to be here with you.”

Doris Burke honors Mark Jones before he calls his final game for ESPN

DB: “I just want you to know, everybody involved, in the truck, here courtside, we are honored to be here with you.”

MJ: “I love you, Doris.”

DB: “I love you.” pic.twitter.com/l1RVU3IGi0

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 12, 2026

Jones seemed emotional after Burke’s message. However, he held it together for the game and promised to “do it the way it’s got to be done.”

As Burke noted, Jones is leaving ESPN after over three decades. He first joined ABC in 1990, and he was opting to leave after 36 years with his final regular season broadcast for ESPN taking place on Apr. 12.

In addition to his responsibilities at ESPN, Jones works for NBC Sports California. He serves as the lead play-by-play commentator for the Sacramento Kings.

During his career at ABC and ESPN, he was their secondary play-by-play announcer. Additionally, he did games for ESPN College Football for almost two decades.

He ended his ESPN career with a bang. The game between the Celtics and Magic was hotly contested, with Boston closing out their regular season with a win.

The Celtics will make the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the Magic will have to earn it. They will play the Philadelphia 76ers in the play-in tournament to determine their fate on Wednesday, Apr. 15. The Celtics will face the winner of the Magic-76ers game in the first round of the playoffs.

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