It is “impossible to work with ESPN’s NBA analysts” to arrange interviews

The 2024-25 NBA season is here and Pat McAfee is still looking for an expert.

This is a surprise for the former All-Pro player considering his program is affiliated with ESPN.

Although McAfee is currently under a five-year, $85 million deal to lease his show to the global leader, McAfee says the network's NBA experts are largely unavailable to him.

In a long post on X, the 37-year-old explained the situation and called on all NBA analysts to get involved The Pat McAfee Show regularly (as in the case of Aaron Rodgers, it would be a paid position).

“I need one or more NBA experts on the program…not every day…just someone to FaceTime regularly during the season. I will pay because I pay everyone for their contribution to our show,” McAfee wrote. “When we licensed our show through ESPN, we obviously thought it would be easy to bring NBA people from the ESPN roster into daily scheduling during the season. Afternoons are HARD for the entire group.

“Sooooo… Which ex-NBA players do you think would make a great representative of the association on our bullshit show?”

I need one or more NBA experts on the program…not every day…just someone to FaceTime regularly during the season.

I will pay because I pay everyone for their contribution to our show.

Obviously… when we licensed our show through ESPN, we thought it would be easy to get NBA people from… pic.twitter.com/5DPaJjeKLS

– Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 23, 2024

While ESPN's NBA team is undoubtedly busy – something McAfee noted – the post could certainly be interpreted as a dig at ESPN and/or its NBA talent. At the very least, one imagines that ESPN executives would have preferred him to keep his dismay a secret, although his public call for NBA analysts to join his show would certainly have raised some eyebrows.

In any case, it's odd that ESPN wouldn't be able to provide McAfee with at least one of its NBA analysts on a regular basis, especially considering the network's positioning PMS as one of its cornerstone programs. But while McAfee has had NBA analysts like Kendrick Perkins and Austin Rivers as regulars on his show in the past, it appears McAfee will remain outside the ESPN family for this season's analysis.

[Pat McAfee on X]