NBA TV is a veritable buffet for the basketball fan. With pro games from across the Association, a variety of studio shows, documentaries, features, and profiles, there is nothing left on the table once the dinner line ends. One of the best things about the network is its incredibly diverse roster of basketball literate analysts. Included in this group are Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter and former NBA stalwart Channing Frye. This pair joins host Lauren Jbara on one of the top programs on NBA TV, NBA GameTime.
This nightly series looks back on the day’s slate of games with highlights, commentary, stats, and focus on key players and plays. The fast paced action of the show features the pretty passes, dynamic dunks, thrilling three’s, and tremendous teamwork that make the NBA perhaps the most exciting sport on television.
Today’s NBA has certainly taken some shots with many people reducing the game to three point shots and slams. There is no question that the current game lacks the physicality and angry rivalries of bygone years, but it does boast a bevy of young talent on both established and emerging teams. When top teams like the Celtics, Knicks, Cavaliers, Nuggets, or Thunder do battle, the game remains riveting.
The NBA may not have the raw toughness of the NHL, the collision-based grit of the NFL, or even the strategy of MLB, but those sports do not have the NBA’s frenetic speed, grace, and non-stop action. From elder statesmen like LeBron James to exciting young players like Anthony Edwards, the NBA still offers a blitz of action, and NBA GameTime captures this action as well as any daily show on television.
The program features a vibrant opening with colorful team logos blended in with players from those teams. I caught the January 14 edition of the program hosted by Lauren Jbara alongside Carter and Frye. This on air crew is emblematic of how NBA TV constantly mixes and meshes its talent roster together for different perspectives.
Jbara is a rising and versatile star in sportscasting. Her extreme competence both in studio and as a reporter in the field across the sports landscape is notable. Jbara’s national resume includes work at Bally Sports and TNT, as well as coverage of MLB and the 2024 Paris Olympics. She has also forged a strong social media impact. Jbara consistently combines pleasance and presence in her on air work.
On this edition of NBA GameTime, Jbara offered a light exchange with her panelists then immediately moved to highlights of the Spurs at Lakers game. As with all of the game highlights, NBA GameTime eschews the traditional highlight narration. Jbara takes on a sort of play-by-play role with Carter and Frye as color analysts.
Jbara calls the action, then pivots by asking a question to Carter or Frye in a very casual and conversational style. Both former NBA stars then interject their thoughts on a particular play. The Spurs-Lakers commentary largely focused on Victor Wembanyama, the dynamic young player for San Antonio.
The style of the show is pretty much three people watching highlights of an NBA game and sharing a nice exchange. Jbara brings a crisp and concise style to her work, recognizing that Carter and Frye are the basketball experts and giving them space to talk. She also does a good job of providing key game stats intermittently in the conversation.
I like the rhythm and pace of NBA GameTime. Following the game highlights, the show returned to the studio with Carter and Frye taking a deep dive into what we just watched. Frye had a telling take, commenting on how the Lakers go into a negative mode once they fall behind in a game. He also gave credit to veteran point guard Chris Paul for raising the collective games of his San Antonio teammates.
Jbara has a great sense of timing, knowing when to push the show from one area of discussion to another. She ended the Spurs-Lakers talk and moved the proceedings to analysis of the Grizzlies-Rockets game in Houston – again asking direct questions to both Carter and Frye. The production team at NBA GameTime does a nice job supporting the video highlights with graphic box scores of the game featuring leading scorers and individual statistics. The show will also periodically feature postgame interviews with players offering their takes on the night’s action.
NBA GameTime is a huge promotional tool for the Association, and Jbara and company are sure to mention upcoming NBA games on TV across all networks. As with most sports networks now, the lower third NBA TV graphics crawl provides constant hoops news and promotes upcoming NBA programming amid the commentary.
Jbara, Carter, and Frye really work well together and have similar styles. Jbara provides upbeat and enthusiastic highlight setups thereby raising the games of Carter and Frye as they jump in with their thoughts. During a look at the Pistons at Knicks game, Jbara highlighted New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, respectively. Both Carter and Frye chimed in with some high praise for both players.
Carter lauded Cunningham saying that he is excelling at all levels and in all aspects of the game and should be an All-Star this season. Jbara pointed out that the Pistons rose to two games over .500 for the first time since 2019 and that they had an 8-1 record since January 1. The pace of gametime fits the pace of the NBA itself. While the commentary on each game is insightful, there is no wasted time nor words as Jbara moves the discourse forward.
The trio did a nice job whipping through the Wolves-Wizards matchup and highlights of the tilt between Golden State and Toronto. The best part of NBA GameTime is you don’t have to wait around too long to see highlights and analysis of your favorite team. For those fans who happened to miss a night’s action, the show provides a comprehensive way to get caught up on all the news and scores.
Prefacing highlights of the Heat at Clippers game, Jbara mentioned the LA Strong theme as the NBA, its teams, and players continue to support those suffering through the devastating wildfires in Southern California. She offered a subdued style in calling highlights of the game, while Carter and Frye focused on the high-level play of the Clippers’ Norman Powell and the sharp shooting of Miami’s Tyler Herro. Following the Miami-LA highlights, Jbara circled back to the wildfire relief efforts showing an NBA Cares graphic and urging people to contribute to the cause. Carter reflected on his personal experiences with such disasters in Florida, and Frye revealed that several of his family members have been displaced by the current wildfires.
This was a fitting end to this edition of NBA GameTime, a show that is all about the word relevancy. The show is a thorough and complete package for NBA viewers meting out a perfectly prescribed dose of highlights, analysis, news, and previews.
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John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
