As Basketball Night in America made its debut on Sunday evening, a familiar face returned to the NBA on NBC as Bob Costas made his first appearance on the network’s coverage in nearly a quarter-century.
To begin the program, Costas made a tongue-in-cheek reference.
“And as I was saying, back in 2002, welcome to the NBA on NBC,” he said with a wry smile.
He continued by noting the network’s long history with the league.
“The last time the NBA was on NBC, Shaq, Kobe, and the Lakers were finishing off a sweep of the Nets to complete a three-peat,” said Costas. “I hosted it, and the great Marv Albert called it. As you may already have noticed, on occasion, this season will remind you of NBC history with the league, including the return of John Tesch is round ball rock Mike to Rico’s conversation with Michael Jordan, and now and then a flashback to some of the unforgettable moments from the 90s and early 2000s but for the most part, the focus is on a new generation of teams and a new generation of stars presented by a new generation of broadcasters.”
He then tossed to the more permanent host of Basketball Night in America, Maria Taylor.
The appearance of Costas to begin the program for NBC Sports comes days after he was announced as the new host of the network’s MLB coverage, which is set to begin later this year.
Costas will make his on-air debut with NBC’s new primetime Major League Baseball package on March 26, when the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Opening Day. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET, marking MLB’s lone primetime game that evening.
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