The 2025-26 college basketball season promises high drama and fresh storylines. Houston is chasing redemption, Florida looks poised for a repeat, and Kentucky under Mark Pope has invested heavily to reload its roster. Meanwhile, elite freshmen AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Darryn Peterson are set to battle for the top NBA draft spot. Covering all the action courtside this season will be ESPN’s newest sideline reporter, Kris Budden.

ESPN announced that Kris Budden will step in as the network’s new lead men’s basketball reporter. A familiar face since joining ESPN in 2015, Budden has covered everything from college football and baseball to tennis and basketball. She takes over the role from Jess Sims and will now join play-by-play man Dan Shulman and analyst Jay Bilas, who will call marquee men’s games on ESPN and ABC.

 With a decade of experience with ESPN and half a decade with WIBR, Budden is well-equipped to take the reins for ESPN at high-profile events. She debuted at Duke-Texas, Dick Vitale Invitational in Charlotte, and had the first taste of her new position. The college basketball fandom and her colleagues were quick to congratulate Budden on this achievement.

Kris Budden levels up to lead sideline role, and fans love it

“Thrilled for KB & that I got a chance to work with her. Like @sportsiren before her, she’s an all-star!” Wrote ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla. Sims is not leaving basketball, though. She moves over to the women’s game with Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli as a sideline reporter. However, Sims will only join her new team after she finishes her work on the football version of ESPN College GameDay. ESPN mixed up its broadcasting teams, but the exact reason for this change hasn’t been given. 

“Earned it!! ❤️” Wrote Holly Rowe, who will return to the women’s college basketball broadcast team. For years, Rowe has been the face of ESPN’s college basketball coverage on the sidelines. In 2023, ESPN changed its focus to women’s basketball to accommodate the massive boom there. That made way for Sims and now Budden. If a broadcasting legend like Rowe says Budden has earned erases any doubt fans who don’t know Budden might have had. 

“A cool piece of news in our 2025-26 ESPN college basketball talent release,” ESPN’s Bill Hofheimer wrote. “Thank you Bill ❤️Incredibly grateful for this opportunity!” Budden replied. Before joining ESPN, Kris Budden built an impressive resume in sports media. From 2013 to 2015, she served as a sideline and feature reporter for FOX Sports, covering both the NFL and college football. She also contributed to FOX Sports San Diego, hosting and reporting on the San Diego Padres’ coverage during that span.

Budden also spent years at WBIR in Knoxville covering major events like the 2012 London Olympics, NCAA tournaments, and Pat Summitt’s retirement. Her storytelling earned her the Associated Press Best Sports Feature Award, and in 2016, she was honored with a regional Emmy for Best Talent in Sports.

As the premier sideline reporter for major college basketball games, Budden will now reach millions of viewers. She has the opportunity to capture key moments and give the best coverage for the biggest games on the calendar. Budden is a true sports enthusiast and will bring a unique flavor to the coverage. But it wasn’t just her colleagues reacting to the news.

“Fantastic! Love her!” Wrote a fan. Kris Budden has been moving up as a versatile reporter for some time. She made her debut last year on Grand Slam tennis coverage at the 2024 US Open. Budden’s hustle has been a signature part. She is on the screen for one event today and another few thousand miles away, the next.

In January, Budden covered Penn State as a radio sideline reporter during the Orange Bowl in Miami. The next morning, she flew to Melbourne, Australia, to hit the ground running, covering her first Australian Open. Her dedication shows in her work and will enhance college basketball coverage this season. “I am a reporter and journalist at heart,” she says. Another fan expressed some grief regarding the recent ESPN-YouTube TV controversy. 

“Congrats, and would love to watch, but thanks to your greedy bosses and despite paying for ESPN+, YTTV, Hulu & Disney+, we can’t. Really shitty way to treat your customers,” a frustrated fan wrote. YouTube TV and Disney (which owns ESPN) couldn’t get a deal done on time that had 10 million subscribers scrambling for college football games.

That will impact college basketball, too, as many have YouTube TV as the primary provider. ESPN is offering a bundle of its own as it publicly called out YouTube TV. The ones affected are the fans.