20 Days Until NBA Returns to NBC and Debuts on Peacock
NBC Sports Recaps its 2024-2025 NBA Announcements
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 1, 2025 – With the calendar turning to October and NBA Tip-Off only 20 days away, it’s time to look back at some of the news that NBC Sports has announced since its new agreement with the NBA was revealed on July 24, 2024. Beginning this month, the NBA will return to NBC for the first time in over two decades and debut on Peacock, with coverage set to feature top-tier talent, Hall of Famers, All-Stars, streaming innovations, and more.
Below is a recap of NBC Sports’ 2024-2025 NBA announcements:
- July 24, 2024: NBCUniversal and the NBA announced an 11-year agreement for NBC, Peacock, Sky Sports, and Telemundo to present NBA and WNBA regular-season and playoff basketball games beginning with the 2025-26 season.
- Dec. 11, 2024: NBC Sports hired Emmy Award-winner Frank DiGraci as its coordinating producer for its NBA coverage. DiGraci oversees all production elements of NBC Sports’ game coverage and serves as its lead producer.
- Jan. 14, 2025: NBC Sports released its first NBA promotional spot starring actor Jack McBrayer, who reprised his role of Kenneth the Page from 30 Rock, alongside NBA All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Victor Wembanyama.
- Jan. 14: Jamal Crawford, a 20-season NBA veteran and three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year, is announced as one of NBC Sports’ game analysts.
- Jan. 22: NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico, who called NBA games for 15 seasons for ESPN from 2002-2016, is announced as its lead play-by-play voice. Tirico is the voice of many of NBC Sports’ biggest events, including the Olympics, Sunday Night Football, Kentucky Derby, golf’s U.S. Open, Open Championship, and more.
- Feb. 18: Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and five-time NBA All-Star Reggie Miller is announced as one of NBC Sports’ lead game analysts. A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, Miller worked at Turner Sports as a commentator for 20 years following his playing career, calling numerous All-Star Games and playoff series.
- Feb. 25: NBC Sports’ Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Noah Eagle is named one of its NBA play-by-play voices. Since joining NBC Sports in 2023, Eagle has worked several high-profile events, such as Team USA men’s and women’s basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Big Ten Saturday Night, and an NFL Wild Card and regular season game.
- May 3: Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony is announced as a studio analyst. Anthony is a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, a six-time All-NBA selection, and currently sits in 10th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
- May 3: Roundball Rock, one of the most beloved and iconic theme songs in sports history, is announced in a promotional spot during the Kentucky Derby that it will make its long-awaited return to the NBA when NBC Sports’ coverage begins in October. Composed by John Tesh, the anthem became synonymous with NBC Sports’ critically acclaimed coverage of the NBA from 1990-2002.
- May 6: NBC Sports announced that the AI-generated voice of former narrator Jim Fagan will be used in elements of its NBA coverage. Fagan, who passed away in 2017, was synonymous with NBC Sports’ critically acclaimed coverage of the NBA from 1990-2002.
- May 12: Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan is announced as a special contributor. Widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan is a five-time NBA MVP, 14-time NBA All-Star, and 10-time NBA scoring champion, among other accolades.
- May 12: Peacock unveiled new product features for its NBA coverage, including instant game access, Peacock ScoreCard, Peacock Performance View, and Courtside Live.
- May 13: Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter, who played a record 22 seasons in the NBA, is announced as a studio analyst. Carter played a record 22 seasons in the NBA and was a two-time All-NBA selection and the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year.
- June 23: Maria Taylor is named NBC Sports’ lead NBA studio host for its coverage of the association. Taylor will host NBC Sports’ NBA studio programs on Sunday and Tuesday nights.
- June 24: Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill is announced as a game analyst. Hill was also a five-time All-NBA selection and a member of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold-medal winning team. Following his playing career, Hill has called the past 10 Final Fours as an analyst for TNT Sports and CBS Sports’ joint coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
- July 1: Ahmed Fareed is named NBC Sports’ NBA studio host for its Monday night NBA coverage. Fareed has worked on many of NBC Sports’ biggest events and across numerous sports and properties, including the Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, PyeongChang, and Rio Olympics; the Paris and Beijing Paralympics; Premier League; Major League Baseball; college football and basketball; horse racing, and more.
- July 15: Terry Gannon is announced as one of NBC Sports’ NBA play-by-play voices. Gannon has been with NBC Sports since 2010 and regularly announces golf for NBC Sports. He has also worked seven Olympic Games for NBC Sports and co-hosted the Closing Ceremonies for the Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, and PyeongChang Olympic Games.
- July 24: NBC Sports finalized its game analyst and play-by-play roster, adding Brad Daugherty, Derek Fisher, Robbie Hummel, Austin Rivers, and Brian Scalabrine, with Michael Grady as a play-by-play announcer.
- July 29: Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady is announced as a studio analyst. Widely considered one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, McGrady was also a seven-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA scoring champion during his illustrious career.
- Aug. 4: Jordan Cornette, Ashley ShahAhmadi, and Zora Stephenson are named courtside reporters, while Grant Liffmann is announced as NBC Sports’ NBA Insider.
- Aug. 12: NBC Sports announced its NBA Tip-Off doubleheader on Tuesday, Oct. 21, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder hosting Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors visiting LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. ET. NBC Sports also announced its Peacock NBA Monday debut games.
- Aug. 14: NBC Sports announced its complete 2025-26 NBA regular-season schedule, featuring 100 games across NBC and Peacock on Sunday Night Basketball, Peacock NBA Monday, and Coast 2 Coast Tuesday.
- Sept. 7: NBC Sports released a promotional spot for NBA Tip-Off during the 2025 Sunday Night Football opener featuring Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Jamal Crawford, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, and Reggie Miller being announced as the starting lineup against Oklahoma City Thunder stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holgrem, and Jalen Williams. Mike Tirico makes a cameo as well.
- Sept. 16: NBC Sports announced “On the Bench,” a production innovation to be used exclusively for games streaming on Peacock NBA Monday that dedicates one analyst to each team and positions that analyst courtside with their team. “On the Bench” will debut on Oct. 27 during Cavaliers-Pistons at 7 p.m. ET on Peacock.
- Sept. 29: NBC Sports announced veteran NBA writer Chris Mannix as a digital insider for its NBA coverage. Mannix, a senior NBA writer for Sports Illustrated, will create video content on breaking news topics that will be distributed across numerous NBCUniversal digital and social media platforms.
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NBC SPORTS’ NBA PROGRAMMING RECAP
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 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.
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ABOUT NBC SPORTS
NBC Sports connects sports fans to the moments that matter most with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. As the sports division of NBCUniversal, NBC Sports produces, programs, and promotes premier content across numerous linear and digital platforms, including NBC and Peacock. NBC Sports possesses an unparalleled collection of media rights agreements, partnering and presenting many of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the NFL, NBA, WNBA, Notre Dame, Big Ten Conference, Big East Conference, Big 12 Conference, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, USGA, PGA of America, The R&A, Churchill Downs, Premier League, and many more. It is renowned for making big events bigger and has produced some of the most-watched sporting events in U.S. media history, including Olympic Games, Super Bowls, and Sunday Night Football, primetime television’s No. 1 show for 14 consecutive years.
--NBC SPORTS--
