In somewhat of a stunning development, reports indicate that ESPN analyst Zach Lowe is set to leave the company.
Penned by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic on Thursday morning, Lowe is reportedly being laid off by ESPN. This comes on the heels of fellow NBA guru Adrian Wojnarowski leaving to work for his alma mater, St. Bonaventure.
Lowe has been an integral member of NBA coverage on ESPN for over a decade. First starting with Grantland, Lowe made his mark initially as a long-form writer. From there, his work splintered off more so in the space of digital media. Lowe began making routine appearances on television shows where he furthered his profile. Most recently, he was also the host of a very popular and informative NBA-centric podcast entitled The Lowe Post.
According to Marchand, Lowe was making upwards of a million dollars annually. It appears to be another cost-cutting move by ESPN, which has laid off numerous media personalities over the last few months.
Lowe himself was a bit esoteric in his love of basketball. Highly driven by the minutiae of the game, his in-depth analysis was among the best of any pundit. It remains to be seen as to where Lowe may end up next — though it would not be shocking to see him re-team with former Grantland buddy Bill Simmons at The Ringer.
Conventional wisdom suggests that ESPN will heavily pursue Shams Charania to fill the void left by both Wojnarowski and Lowe. Charania is reportedly set to hit ‘free agency’ himself, and he likely will not have a shortage of options to choose from.
