MASSIVE changes are coming to national NBA coverage next year — sportscaster Mike Tirico is reclaiming his role as the league’s preeminent play-by-play voice among them.
The league agreed to a new 11-year, $76 billion TV contract, marking the NBA’s return to NBC after more than a decade.
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NBC was announced as the NBA’s broadcast partner alongside ESPN and Amazon on Wednesday.
The network will pay about $2.5 billion for a significant slice of the league’s media rights pie, which will see the network air 100 regular-season games per year.
And Tirico, 57, will be front and center in his coverage, according to Atlético.
NBC Sports President Rick Cordella told the network the plan is to make the veteran sportscaster the lead voice of the broadcast team.
Given the size of the network’s package, NBC will need to assemble multiple game teams, the report noted.
Tirico – who joined NBC in 2016 – is no stranger to the NBA broadcast booth.
During his time with the New York Native, he called college basketball games between 1997-2002.
He then was part of the Disney-owned network’s NBA coverage until its move to NBC.
Tirico’s reported return to NBA broadcasting has fans excited.
“The nostalgia is real now,” posted one on X.
“Mike Tirico is one of the best NBA announcers ever,” added another.
“He’s really good,” said a third.
“In case you forgot how good Mike Tirico was for the NBA,” one wrote, attaching a clip of Tirico’s frantic call for the 3 from Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard that sealed his team’s victory in the first shift over Houston. Rockets in Game 6.
Tirico will be a very busy man when NBA on NBC officially returns.
What does the new TV deal mean for the NBA?
By US Sun Assistant Sports Editor Damian Burchardt.
The new television rights deal promises to be a big win for NBA players.
The league is expected to more than double revenue from its media partners, pocketing around $6.9 billion per year, which will inevitably lead to a huge salary cap increase in 2025-26.
This will cause the value of players’ contracts to skyrocket.
Projected numbers suggest we could see the first $100 million per year deal being signed soon.
Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum is currently set to earn the highest single-season salary in NBA history, bringing in $71.5 million in 2029-30.
If TNT Sports successfully fulfills one of its bids to maintain its decades-long partnership with the league, basketball fans will also be on the winning side.
The network’s flagship Inside the NBA is a unique sports entertainment program, as evidenced by ESPN’s continued failure to present its own version of the show in recent years.
The NBA wouldn’t be the same without Kenny and Ernie trying to make sense of Shaq and Chuck’s endless fights every Tuesday night.
The sportscaster has been involved in the network’s coverage of golf, football, hockey and Olympic competitions.
Meanwhile, the battle over NBA television rights doesn’t appear to be completely over.
Warner Bros. Discover is evaluating legal options to keep the league on TNT Sports after seeing its attempt to match Amazon’s $1.8 billion deal rejected.
“The legal team is already working on the next steps,” a TNT source close to the negotiations told The US Sun.
The source added: “We believe the NBA has no right to reject our corresponding offer in any way.
“It will be difficult, but we will prepare for a legal battle so that our contract and its clauses are respected.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
