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Skip Bayless attends the Paley Prize Gala honoring ESPN's 35th anniversary presented by Roc Nation Sports on May 28, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Paley Center for Media)
Skip Bayless attends the Paley Prize Gala honoring ESPN’s 35th anniversary on May 28, 2014, in New York City. (Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Paley Center for Media)

Sports analyst Skip Bayless has decided to leave ESPN after his contract expires in August, the network announced Tuesday morning.

Bayless will make his final appearance on the show “First Take” on the day after the last game of the NBA Finals, ESPN said in a brief news release.

“We want to thank Skip for his many contributions to ESPN,” the statement said. “His hard work and talent have benefited ESPN for 12 years.”

Bayless is expected to join Fox Sports, the sports website Deadspin reported, citing an industry source.

“It’s like asking the (Boston) Celtics, ‘Are you interested in Kevin Durant?’ Yes, we’re interested in all the superstars,” Fox Sports president Jamie Horowitz told the Sporting News in March. “Of course, I’m interested in Skip.”

In September, Sports Illustrated reported that ESPN had planned to offer Bayless about $4 million per year when his contract ends this summer.

“It’s been in Ohio as early as the mid-1850s at least, brought in as an ornamental plant because of its unique foliage and white flowers,” Gardner said. “It was actually planted in people’s landscaping, and it has been spreading.”