Tuesday, October 21, was indeed a historic night, both on the hardcourt and on the air, as the NBA returned to NBC. The network aired its first NBA game in 1954 and was the home of the league for parts of the 1980s and 1990s, showcasing some of the greatest moments in hoops history.
The renewal of the collaboration began with two excellent Western Conference matchups: Houston at Oklahoma City and Golden State at the Lakers.
Before the games, however, was the pregame, and NBA Showtime returned with the familiar music composed by none other than John Tesh. The program opened with video of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder. Followed by Kevin Durant of the Rockets making their respective ways into Paycom Center. Houston and OKC might just end up being the two best teams in the league this season.
NBA Showtime host Maria Taylor picked up right where she left off as host of NBC’s Football Night in America, preceding the Sunday Night Football broadcast. With Taylor now also the lead host on the NBA on NBC. It cements her as a foundational talent at the network.
On NBA Showtime, Taylor was joined by a trio of former NBA superstars: Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady.
The lower third graphics on the program are excellent. As the panel was speaking, we learned that this was Kevin Durant’s seventh career game as a visitor at OKC. In those previous six games, he has a 4-2 record and is averaging 30.5 points per game against his former club. Another graphic showed that Houston’s starting lineup has an average height of 6‘10” — quite an imposing quintet of players.
Getting back to the three Hall of Famers who joined Taylor, Carmelo Anthony certainly has the name recognition, but his lack of on-air experience showed.
His resume is terrific as a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. A three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. This hardcourt acumen did not show itself in his commentary. It’s hard to judge a guy in his first stint on big-time national television, but my immediate reaction is that he needs to pick up the energy level. In essence, be himself, but better.
If an analyst is not enthusiastic about what he is saying, the viewers won’t be enthusiastic about listening. Of course, Anthony knows basketball, but this is the NBA on NBC. It is just as much about presentation as it is about knowledge.
Carter, a 2024 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, played 22 NBA seasons. He catapulted from his 1998-99 Rookie of the Year campaign to an incredible career highlighted by some memorable and even mythical dunks. He is the most seasoned TV veteran of NBC’s trio and definitely brings the enthusiasm.
When asked about the biggest storylines in the NBA this season, you could see Carter’s eyes and hear his voice light up as he talked about Durant going to Houston. Carter said that Durant has a chance to change the narrative on his career. Namely that he has never led a team to a title. I disagree. Durant is a two-time champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP with Golden State. While Stephen Curry was and is the face of the Warriors, Golden State would not have become a legendary team without Durant.
I understand Carter’s version of the narrative; I just disagree with the narrative itself. Durant was a 2013-14 NBA MVP and an 11-time All-NBA performer. He is entering his 18th season, having previously played for Seattle/OKC, Golden State, Brooklyn, and Phoenix.
The third member of the NBA Showtime analyst crew is McGrady. The 2017 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee was a seven-time All-NBA selection and a two-time NBA scoring champion. On the TV skill range, I would put McGrady ahead of Anthony and a bit behind Carter. McGrady’s main storyline involved Durant, Curry, and LeBron James, the three graybeards of the league still performing at a high level when healthy. As he spoke about this legendary triumvirate, a graphic showed that Curry scored 37 points or more in three of four games against the Lakers last season.
To be honest, none of these three gents overly impressed me. Anthony, Carter, and McGrady are no strangers to the spotlight, for sure. They all enjoyed long careers and have done countless interviews on multimedia platforms.
This is different, however, and all three seemed a little jittery, uneasy, and nervous. Taylor tried her best to put her three cohorts at ease, but NBC really challenged her with three relative newcomers on such a giant stage.
The quartet did do a decent job of analyzing OKC’s chances to repeat as NBA champions. They focused on the fact that the team is extremely young but also experienced, having gone through a full playoff run. It was good work again from the graphics crew, showing that the Thunder return 14 of 15 players from the 2024-25 playoff roster. Another graphic showed that the future is bright in OKC, with Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams locked up contractually for the next few years.
Taylor filed a nice but brief interview with these three OKC stars, talking about the character of the team, winning a title, and the upcoming season.
Coming back from the interview, Anthony, Carter, and McGrady agreed on the positive makeup of this Thunder team. Anthony commented on the club’s attitude and how they welcome the pressure of being repeat champions, while McGrady talked about the cohesion that the Thunder Big 3 possess.
As the discussion moved back to Houston, Jabari Smith Jr. joined Taylor and company on court for an interview. Smith recently signed a five-year, $122 million contract extension with the Rockets and is viewed as one of the real talents on a team that has title hopes this season. Anthony was actually better in asking Smith if the game has slowed down for him as he has matured.
He seemed much more relaxed asking Smith questions than responding to Taylor’s queries. Perhaps as he gains more experience, Anthony can do some pre-recorded interviews to be used as interstitials on the broadcast.
NBA Showtime also featured a quick exchange between Houston vs. OKC play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico and game analysts Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller. Similar to Anthony, Carter, and McGrady, Crawford seemed a bit nervous, speaking far too quickly with his brief blurb. Conversely, Miller is truly one of the bright lights in basketball television, and with the aforementioned neophytes on the broadcast, NBC is fortunate to have him.
I like that NBA Showtime televised the full ring ceremony and banner raising for the Thunder’s 2024-25 NBA Championship banner. Following the ceremony, OKC star Jaylen Williams hit the court and talked with Taylor, Carter, Anthony, and McGrady.
It was fitting that NBA Showtime featured past NBA legends, current stars, two of the youngest teams in the league — the Thunder and Rockets — and two of the oldest teams — the Warriors and Lakers. This night was indeed all about the NBA on NBC’s epic past, exhilarating present, and exciting future.
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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.
