“We get front row seats for those of us who get to broadcast the games to watch the greatest athletes, and I could not be more excited for next Tuesday in Oklahoma City.” – Mike Tirico on the NBA returning to NBC
“Are we seeing the formation of maybe a young Chicago Bulls team here in OKC with Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] being à la [Michael Jordan] and [Jalen Williams] being à la Scottie Pippen and Chet [Holmgren] as [Dennis] Rodman?” – Reggie Miller on the potential of an Oklahoma City Thunder dynasty
“I remember NBC coming on and the production and the event status that it was and seeing the opening and hearing Bob Costas…It lit a fire in me, and never in a million years did I think I would be working with this great team.” – Jamal Crawford on the NBA returning to NBC
“Those who watched the NBA on NBC during those glory years, from ‘90 to 2002, they’ll feel that familiar beat and that familiar look that made the NBA on NBC so special.” – Sam Flood on NBC Sports’ NBA production
NBA Tip-Off Doubleheader Features NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder Hosting Houston Rockets on Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET followed by Los Angeles Lakers Hosting Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET – Both Games on NBC and Peacock; Coverage Begins with NBA Showtime at 6:30 p.m. ET
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 17, 2025 – With the NBA returning to NBC for the first time in over two decades and debuting on Peacock with NBA Tip-Off this Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports NBA play-by-play voice Mike Tirico, analyst and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, analyst and three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford, and Executive Producer Sam Flood previewed the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season and NBC Sports’ coverage on a media conference call yesterday.
Following are some of the highlights, with the entire transcription available here.
On the Excitement of the NBA Returning to NBC
Mike Tirico, Play-by-Play: “We get front row seats for those of us who get to broadcast the games to watch the greatest athletes, and I could not be more excited for next Tuesday in Oklahoma City as they raise the banner and get this started.”
Reggie Miller, Analyst: “I had some of my best moments [during my playing career] on this network, and the chance for myself to come home and be able to tell stories and hopefully create new moments for the next generation, personally for me, I’m a kid in a candy store.”
Jamal Crawford, Analyst: “Being here with this squad and this team, I literally remember NBC coming on and the production and the event status that it was and seeing the opening and hearing Bob Costas, and after the commercial break going outside to see how many dribbles I could get in before coming back in. It lit a fire in me, and never in a million years did I think I would be working with this great team.”
On NBC Sports’ Production
Sam Flood, Executive Producer, on the connection to the old NBC Sports broadcasts: “It’s a different expectation from an audience, so we’re going to make sure we meet those expectations as best we can. And then, clearly, between [John] Tesh and Jim Fagan and the laser Peacock and some other elements, you will feel that connection. And those who watched the NBA on NBC during those glory years, from ‘90 to 2002, they’ll feel that familiar beat and that familiar look that made the NBA on NBC so special.”
Tirico on the play-by-play crew: “We’ve got such a good group with Noah Eagle, who I’ve known since he was born, and he was born to do this. Terry Gannon, it’s going to be great to have another shooter at the table, Terry calling games, and Michael Grady, as well.” (Note: Terry Gannon was a member of the 1983 North Carolina State men’s basketball team that won the national championship.)
Tirico on “On the Bench”: “There are 1,230 NBA games during a regular season, so to have some small percentage of them done in a very unique way kind of gives an ability to stand out amongst the volume that is the regular season with a unique broadcast.”
Flood on the NBA being back on NBC: “The fact that the NBA is going to be on broadcast network TV, still the broadest reach of anything in media, every Tuesday night, bar a couple during the regular season, is really cool. That is so big for just exposing the NBA to more folks and getting a better, deeper pool of fans going towards the Playoffs, where it really builds up.”
Predictions for the 2025-26 NBA Season
Miller on the potential of an Oklahoma City Thunder dynasty: “Are we seeing the formation of maybe a young Chicago Bulls team here in OKC with Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] being à la [Michael Jordan] and [Jalen Williams] being à la Scottie Pippen and Chet [Holmgren] as [Dennis] Rodman? They have the makeup, the coaching pedigree. They’re very deep. And from everything I’ve been reading and watching, they seem very hungry.”
Miller on the New York Knicks: “This is the year for the New York Knicks. If the Knicks cannot get out of the Eastern Conference this year, something is wrong…with the new coach in Mike Brown and the best clutch player from a year ago in Jalen Brunson, I think everything is set up for [them] to win the East.”
Crawford on Celtics star Jayson Tatum’s recovery from injury: “If I’m Tatum, I’m playing the long game. I don’t think the risk is worth the reward right now. He has a long career ahead of him, and I wouldn’t risk it by coming back early just because he’s feeling good and his love of the game. Personally, I hope that he takes his time and for the Celtics to get a chance to develop [Payton] Pritchard and see how he does in that starting role.”
Tirico on the Detroit Pistons’ 2025 playoff performance: “In those spots, you find out who wants the ball and who doesn’t. And if you watched those games, you saw Cade [Cunningham] develop into no doubt ‘that guy,’ and how the people around him continue to take a step up. [Jaden] Ivey can come in and be added to that group, and that’s a big add. With the East, given everything Reggie has correctly said, I think this could be a very good year for the Pistons.”
Miller on Dallas Mavericks rookie and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg: “He could not have asked for a better situation to be drafted in because he does not have to be the man, and he’s coming into a situation where there are former champions that can help show him the way in Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. He doesn’t have to come in and be a savior for a franchise…Knock on wood, but if he stays healthy, he’s going to win the Rookie of the Year”
Miller on the Denver Nuggets: “In terms of their chances of winning another championship, healthy and whole, I love the Nuggets’ chances because they do have the best player on the planet in [Nikola] Jokić.”
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NBC Sports’ 2025-26 NBA season begins with the American Express NBA Tip-Off doubleheader on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
In the first game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder will raise their championship banner and receive their championship rings just before they host the Houston Rockets and Kevin Durant, who is making his Rockets debut against the franchise he spent the first nine seasons of his career with, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst), Jamal Crawford (analyst), and Zora Stephenson (reporter) will call the game from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. A one-hour, on-site studio show will begin coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET featuring host Maria Taylor and analysts Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter.
In the second game, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and the Golden State Warriors travel to Los Angeles to face Luka Dončić and the Lakers in a Western Conference showdown at 10 p.m. ET. Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Grant Hill (analyst), and Ashley ShahAhmadi (reporter) will have the call from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Host Ahmed Fareed and analyst Tracy McGrady will anchor studio coverage on-site.
Both games will be shown on NBC and Peacock.
This season, NBC Sports will present up to 100 regular season NBA games — including five games each week for portions of the season — with consistent coverage on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights, plus All-Star Weekend and the NBA Playoffs.
Starting Oct. 27, Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three NBA games nationwide on Monday nights throughout the regular season. A 30-minute studio program will lead into game coverage each Monday night.
Following American Express NBA Tip-Off on Tuesday, Oct. 21, Coast 2 Coast Tuesday will begin on Oct. 28 and present doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be presented to NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game to NBC stations in the Pacific and Mountain time zones. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. A 30-minute studio program will lead into coverage each week on Peacock.
After Sunday Night Football and NFL playoff coverage concludes in 2026, NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. This year, Sunday Night Basketball will pause on Feb. 8 and Feb. 15, 2026, due to NBC Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl LX, the NBA All-Star Game, and the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. It will resume on Feb. 22 and run through April 5. Sunday nights will occasionally feature doubleheaders. A one-hour, on-site studio program will lead into game coverage each week on NBC and Peacock. The show open will star four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning recording artist Lenny Kravitz.
–NBC SPORTS–
