“His IQ level when it comes to developing and scouting is why we see OKC raising that banner tonight.” – Carmelo Anthony on Thunder general manager Sam Presti
“He has an opportunity to change the look and change the narrative of how we see Kevin Durant as far as where he ranks all-time.” – Vince Carter on Kevin Durant joining the Rockets
“This is a phenomenal accomplishment for this city, for this organization, and for these players. These guys are still young and in their prime and still scratching the surface of what they can be.” – Tracy McGrady on the Thunder
“He knows he only has a few years left. He wants to go out with a bang and still show these young guys that he’s not quite yet ready to give his position up as the greatest shooter ever.” – Carter on Warriors’ Stephen Curry
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 21, 2025 – The NBA returned to NBC and debuted on Peacock tonight with the premiere of NBC Sports’ studio program NBA Showtime, leading into coverage of the American Express NBA Tip-Off doubleheader. In the first game the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder are hosting the Houston Rockets from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., and will be followed by the Golden State Warriors visiting the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif.
Tonight’s doubleheader marks the first NBA games on NBC since June 12, 2002 – Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Finals, when the Lakers defeated the New Jersey Nets to win the NBA championship.
Tonight’s premiere on-site edition of NBA Showtime from Oklahoma City featured host Maria Taylor alongside Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady. Pre-game coverage also included the Thunder’s championship ring ceremony and the unveiling of their championship banner, Maria Taylor’s interview with Thunder stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, on-court interviews with Williams and Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., and a tease to the halftime airing of a portion of an interview between Mike Tirico and Michael Jordan in the first installment of MJ: Insights to Excellence, a series that will air throughout the season.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst), Jamal Crawford (analyst), and Zora Stephenson (courtside reporter) are calling Rockets-Thunder. Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Grant Hill (analyst), and Ashley ShahAhmadi (courtside reporter) are calling Warriors-Lakers.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s debut of NBA Showtime ahead of NBA Tip-Off on NBC and Peacock:
ON NBA RETURNING TO NBC
Tirico: “Ring night and opening night here in Oklahoma City. It is Game 1 of 1,230. Especially in the West, they all mean something. It means a lot for all of us. Glad to have you with us. After 23 years, the NBA on NBC is back, and Season 80 of the NBA is underway.”
ON THUNDER
Carmelo Anthony on the NBA storyline he’s most looking forward to: “It’s the Oklahoma City Thunder defending their title. You saw what they did last year, you see the pieces that they have: [Alex] Caruso, who is a big piece of that, Chet [Holmgren’s] development, Jalen Williams’ development, Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander’s] leadership. After this, we’ll determine whether they’re primed for a dynasty or if this was just a one-time thing.”
Anthony on the Thunder: “I love the confidence that they put out there. As long as they respect it amongst each other, amongst their peers, they’re good to be as confident as they want, as long as they come in here and work hard and do what they have to do.”
Jamal Crawford on how the Thunder will respond to being the reigning NBA Champions: “That’s what remains to be seen. Their average age last year was 25.5. They did what they set out to do, but they did it so early. Now they are the hunted. They went from hunting to hunted. They have SGA, the MVP, one of the best players in the world and his leadership always pushes them on the court. We’ll see what they bring tonight.”
Tracy McGrady: “This is a phenomenal accomplishment for this city, for this organization, and for these players. These guys are still young and in their prime and still scratching the surface of what they can be.”
Anthony on Thunder GM Sam Presti: “For Sam Presti to take this role in 2007, draft KD, draft Russell Westbrook, draft James Harden, Serge Ibaka, he’s been able to be patient and execute the vision. His IQ level when it comes to developing and scouting is why we see OKC raising that banner tonight.”
McGrady on the core of Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren: “I love the chemistry off the court. Three guys that enjoy each other’s company, and it translates on the basketball court. The winning recipe for winning championships, you got to have that chemistry.”
Thunder point guard Gilgeous-Alexander to Maria Taylor on the potential for more Thunder championships: “If we continue to do what we’ve done the past couple years, then we should have multiple championships.”
Gilgeous-Alexander to Taylor on the team’s chemistry: “We’re, individually, all very confident, and because of that, when we come together as a collective, we’re a very confident group and that oozes into our play. We don’t care how we look to anybody else besides ourselves. All we worry about is winning basketball games.”
Thunder center Chet Holmgren to Taylor: “The biggest thing that can mess a really good team up is ego. I don’t think we have that problem…Everybody’s willing to do whatever it takes to win basketball games. That’s what got us here and I think we will continue to do that.”
THUNDER CHAMPIONSHIP RING AND BANNER CEREMONY
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on the Thunder during their ring ceremony: “The Thunder are more than a basketball team in this community. They’re a source of enormous pride and togetherness. They play not only for each other, but for every member of this community. To [chairman] Clay Bennett, [general manager] Sam Presti, and the entire Thunder organization, congratulations on a championship that you will never forget.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s message to the Thunder fans before raising the championship banner: “On behalf of the organization, myself, my teammates, we just want to say thank you guys. You guys have been amazing since the moment we stepped here. The love has been unconditional for when we were losing by 40 to winning by 40, you guys never wavered, and for that, we will never forget you guys. This ring is just as much ours as it is yours.”
Jalen Williams to Taylor, Anthony, Carter, and McGrady on the feeling of raising the banner and receiving his ring: “Honestly, it feels a little better than winning it. That made it feel a lot more real. It’s really hard to explain but it’s a special moment for everybody in here. Being the first of anything is always really cool, especially when it’s this.”
Tirico: “[The Thunder’s] championship rings, shimmering and shining, forever symbols of reaching the mountaintop, they’ve been handed out. The banner has been raised to remind all who enter of what happened here last year.”
ON ROCKETS
Reggie Miller on Kevin Durant’s return to Oklahoma City and move to Houston: “He’s going to control the narrative in that conversation. Think about this Houston team, second last year in a loaded Western Conference, but they didn’t have that gunslinger in that Golden State series [that they lost] in the First Round. The biggest offseason move? Going out and getting the greatest gunslinger ever.”
Vince Carter on Kevin Durant’s move to Houston: “He has an opportunity to change the look and change the narrative of how we see Kevin Durant as far as where he ranks all-time. Every time I see him, I say, ‘Remind us of who you are.’ I think he’s going to show us that in Houston.”
Carter on how the Rockets should use Durant: “He’s a guy that you need to move around the court. You don’t want him locked in at the top of the key handling the ball and all eyes are on him. He has so many skillsets…There are so many things you can do with this guy.”
Anthony on Durant making the Rockets a championship contender: “Yes, he makes them relevant, but a contender? It all depends on how these young guys are brought up around them. If he can get those young guys to buy in and understand work ethic – he’s one of the greatest scorers that we’ve ever seen – once you build that around these young guys, we’re going to see something special.”
Carter on Rockets head coach Ime Udoka: “If there’s one thing we know about Ime, he’s going to hold everyone accountable, including Kevin Durant. If he can allow Ime to do that, that will take the team a long way.”
Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. to Anthony, Carter, and McGrady on his goals for this season: “I want to win Most Improved Player. I want to win a championship. I feel like we have the roster for it. It’s not going to happen overnight, we know that, but we just got to stay together.”
Smith Jr. to Anthony, Carter, and McGrady on what he’s learned from Kevin Durant: “You learn from him by just watching him and how he approaches the game. Doing it for that long, you’d think it’d get old. He approaches it like it’s his first day, so just seeing that you have to up your level, up your play, up your attention to detail just to get on the level he’s on. Just being around him is a gift in itself. He’s always in my ear talking to me and I’m happy to be playing with him.”
Carter on Rockets center Alperen Şengün: “Putting the ball in his hands and having the offense initiate through him, because they don’t have [injured point guard] Fred VanVleet, is another way to have versatility on the offense. I’d love to see that pick and roll [with Durant].”
ON LAKERS
McGrady on Lakers point guard Luka Dončić: “It could be a special season for him. He came back in better shape and he gets a chance to play with LeBron [James]…I just see great things for him.”
ON WARRIORS
Anthony on the Warriors: “They understand the assignment…They’re not trying to win the early season, they’re not trying to win the mid-season, they’re trying to win in the postseason.”
Carter on Warriors point guard Stephen Curry: “He knows he only has a few years left. He wants to go out with a bang and still show these young guys that he’s not quite yet ready to give his position up as the greatest shooter ever.”
--NBA SHOWTIME--
