Jalen Rose Uses ESPN NBA Countdown to Demand Raise for Maria Taylor: ‘The Most Unique Talent in the Game’

Maria Taylor is the latest ESPN star to engage in a contract dispute with the Disney-owned sports network, and her colleague Jalen Rose is offering his full support.

Wednesday night, Rose used his platform on ESPN’s NBA Countdown ahead of their Game 6 Western Conference Finals broadcast to vouch for Taylor getting a raise. While analyzing the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers matchup, the topic of Reggie Jackson’s contract was broached.

“If you’re great at what you do, you deserve the bag,” Countdown analyst Jay Williams said.

“If that’s the case, Maria need a raise,” Rose quickly jumped in.

“You got an MVP vote, you got a Heisman vote, the most unique talent in the game!” Rose added as Taylor tried to drive the show back to basketball analysis.

Taylor is one of the most recognizable personalities on ESPN, currently hosting NBA Countdown, also contributing as a College Football and NFL reporter.

According to Andrew Marchand of The New York Post, Taylor’s contract is set to expire July 20, and both sides remain far apart on an extension. More interesting, the NBA Finals could extend beyond Taylor’s contract, potentially creating a major void for ESPN to fill on Countdown at an inopportune time.

Marchand states ESPN offered Taylor as much as $5 million annually last year, but she sought “Stephen A. Smith money,” which is in the $8 million range. With the sports media industry continuing to seek financial savings because of the global pandemic’s impact, ESPN reportedly cut their previous proposal, now offering Taylor between $2 and $3 million annually.

Watch above via ESPN.