Adam Schefter, NBA sideline reporter. What?
As first reported by Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated, ESPN has signed Schefter to a multiyear contract extension, which includes some new gigs for the NFL insider, including NBA sideline work.
Schefter won’t be joining the Doris Burke’s of the world, but when his NFL workload is light, he will assist ESPN in its NBA coverage as a sideline reporter, simply for the fun of it.
“I love what I do, but you are always curious to try different things,” Schefter said. “I know people think of me as this robot who doesn’t do anything outside of NFL news, injury reports, contact extensions, and hirings and firings. I love all that stuff, but everyone likes to do things a little different or outside the box.”
Schefter explained that as a result of playing daily fantasy games, following the NBA has become a new hobby for him.
“I went from knowing nothing about the NBA a couple of years ago to knowing every player on every roster,” Schefter said. “It’s become a side hobby, and the bosses are aware of that.”
Another one of Schefter’s roles under his new contract will be a podcast, tentatively titled “Know Them From Adam: The Adam Schefter Show.” The show is set to hit the airwaves in January, and he already has his eyes set on President-elect Donald Trump as a guest.
Schefter says the reason for taking on these new roles simply is to try something different.
“There are certain things that get your juices flowing, and big stories in the NFL get my juices going, but they have gotten my juices going for 26 years,” he said. “This is something new and fresh. I am going to love it.”
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
