Cassidy Hubbarth Has Decided to Part Ways With ESPN After Nearly 15 Years With the Network

It's not easy for women to carve out a space for themselves in a male-dominated career, but sports reporter Cassidy Hubbarth has achieved that and more. The Evanston, Ill. native and Chicago Bulls fan started her career as a host and reporter for the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports South before she landed at ESPN in 2010. Although she covered college football and basketball, Cassidy had her eye on the NBA.

After being with ESPN for three years, she began hosting several NBA shows, including but not limited to The Hoop Collective, the network's first all-female NBA podcast. And while Cassidy has been an incredible sideline reporter for ESPN at NBA games, in April 2025, she announced it was time to leave the network after nearly 15 years. We're trying not to panic, but we have to know what is going on. Let's get into it.

While the 2025 NBA Playoffs are about to begin, Cassidy's time at ESPN is coming to an end. She is leaving the network to join the Amazon family. Rumors of her departure began circulating in January 2025 when Andrew Marchand dropped the bomb in a piece for The Athletic. Beginning next season, Cassidy will be Prime's No. 1 sideline reporter alongside play-by-play caller Ian Eagle. Thus begins Amazon's 11-year, nearly $20 billion contract to stream the NBA.

Cassidy's final broadcast with ESPN was a play-in game between the Miami Heat and her hometown faves, the Chicago Bulls. ESPN announcers Mike Breen, Doris Burke, and Richard Jefferson took a moment to pay tribute to Cassidy in what turned out to be the most emotional part of the game. "Cassidy has been such a dedicated professional, a wonderful teammate, and most importantly, as kind and caring a friend as you can possibly have," said Mike.

Doris jumped in and called the longtime sideline reporter a "pro's pro" echoing the sentiment that she is an "unbelievable friend," who will be missed. "I know her as Mama Cass," said Richard. "She has given me so much advice. She has supported me." Richard went on to say that he would not be where he was without Cassidy's investment in him. "I just, I appreciate her so much and I think she’s gonna do outstanding where she’s at next."

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cassidy is worth $500,000, which feels a little low for such a robust tenure at ESPN. While we don't know the details of Cassidy's contract with Amazon, we can try to guess what she might be making.

The alot website threw together a list of sideline reporters and their reported salaries. Although Cassidy wasn't on the list, there were a few people who were calling the shots from the courts at NBA games. If these numbers are correct, Cassidy could be making anywhere between $80,000 and $200,000. Since she was poached by Amazon, here's hoping part of the deal was a big paycheck.