Jackie MacMullan announced her ESPN retirement two weeks ago, and today, August 31, she will make her final on-air appearance. Fittingly, she’ll finish her ESPN tenure on Around The Horn (ESPN2, 5 p.m. ET with re-airs on ESPNEWS at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.)
Not only has MacMullan been a leading NBA coverage voice for forty years, she has also been a staple of Around The Horn since joining ESPN in 2010.
MacMullan’s impact and influence has been on full display through the outpouring of respect and praise she has received since the announcement.
ESPN colleagues, current and former NBA players and media members have expressed what the Curt Gowdy Media Award-winner has meant to our industry.
As none other than Larry Bird wrote in a letter to Jackie dated August 27, 2021: “You are one of the best, you always have been and you always will be and that’s the way it is.”
Bill Hofheimer contributed to this post.
Jackie’s All-Time Around The Horn Stats
NBA greats pay tribute to Jackie MacMullan
Trae Young, Isiah Thomas, Shaquille O’Neal and Klay Thompson commend Jackie MacMullan for her trailblazing journalism career after she announces her retirement.
Here’s Jackie in her own words to @GlobeChadFinn.
— Tony Reali (@TonyReali) August 19, 2021
Her last show, Aug 31 on @AroundtheHorn is going to be glorious and emotional and gloriously emotional. The list of people who will ask to be on that show with Jackie will be longer than the Nile. https://t.co/jxboTi068K
As I told Jackie Mac, she is the best ever. When she told me she was retiring I cried. She is one of the @AroundtheHorn originals. Now there are only three of us. Jackie will be missed most. Hall of Famer.
— Woody Paige (@woodypaige) August 19, 2021
https://twitter.com/UNHWBB/status/1430656809736495106
Jackie MacMullan, a former Globe columnist and sports journalism pioneer, is retiring from ESPN at the end of the month. Her final day is Aug. 31. https://t.co/mG2DP0P2dJ
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) August 18, 2021
https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1432724698534711301
https://twitter.com/espn/status/1428007658007707650
I first met her in the Red Sox Clubhouse and I froze cuz she’s Jackie Mac, the GOAT and also cause my experiences with a couple other women had been cold at best.. but she was friendly, warm and specifically made sure I was in a position to ask a question. An actual hero.
— Elle Duncan (@elleduncanESPN) August 18, 2021
Trailblazer. Role model. All-Pro. One of our very best, Jackie MacMullan, is retiring. https://t.co/5nVbXYwaNb
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) August 18, 2021
Wow. It's hard to fit this into 280 characters. But...
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) August 18, 2021
Jackie MacMullan has been a special person in our business for a long time.
So smart. So warm. A beautiful way with words. A fantastic reporter and interviewer. A pioneer. A friend. A mentor to so many. Miss her already! https://t.co/5iqeO7GUAJ
Jackie MacMullan is retiring from ESPN at the end of this month https://t.co/3jCVsYcze5
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 19, 2021
A pioneer in sportswriting, she's been with the network full-time since 2008 and contributed to shows like The Sports Reporters and Around the Horn before that. pic.twitter.com/QDhy9tDwSP
Farewell to one of the enduring forces and icons of our industry — Jackie MacMullan is retiring from ESPN. Incredible talent, incredible friend. There will never be another Jackie Mac. https://t.co/Lu6ip13xiD
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 18, 2021
Met her at the Final Four in Lexington in ‘85, to say she was “holding her own” in hoops with the fellas is a crass understatement. A remarkable career, good friend, great person...and she did it all without Twitter. https://t.co/hcz38fY03b
— Tim Cowlishaw (@TimCowlishaw) August 18, 2021
Jackie MacMullan is absolutely exceptional. And she's one of the true, true matriarchs of this business. pic.twitter.com/jti3kaPe5W
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 18, 2021
Longtime award-winning sportswriter Jackie MacMullan, who spent the past 11 years working for ESPN in a variety of multi-media roles, is retiring. https://t.co/lfIhFBhH3Y
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 18, 2021
https://twitter.com/FOS/status/1428050560817582084
Kudos to Jackie MacMullan, who led the way for so many — including @Globe_Tara https://t.co/PmhHeG94vs
— Boston Globe Sports (@BGlobeSports) August 26, 2021
