As the NBA season tipped off last week, so did a new broadcast era.
The first games were introduced by the nostalgic melodies of “Roundball Rock,” a sports theme not heard on NBA broadcasts in the last two decades. Mike Tirico was on the mic. NBC’s peacock logo was watermarked on the screen.
The league’s highly anticipated $77 billion media rights deal has begun, with NBC/Peacock, ESPN/ABC and Amazon Prime sharing national broadcast privileges. Denver’s first streaming-only game is Monday in Minnesota, aired by NBCUniversal through Peacock.
Another brand-new development as this all takes effect: The presence of Michael Jordan on television.
NBC aired the first snippet of a wide-ranging conversation between Tirico and the Chicago Bulls legend at halftime of the league’s season opener last Tuesday. Tirico indicated much more is to come from Jordan at halftime of games throughout this season in a segment called “MJ: Insights to Excellence.” In the first tease, Jordan expressed his desire to “pay it forward” to future generations of the sport by discussing the modern NBA.
It might not matter to players which TV channel they have to turn on to watch a game. But the voice of Jordan carries real gravitas.
“Absolutely (excited),” Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray said. “You hear a lot of other guys talk, but Jordan’s kind of been in the dark, quiet, going about his business. Knows where he ranks all-time. So no (point) for him to say nothing. It’ll be cool to hear his opinion on how the game’s changed and just hear the questions that he gets.”
Jordan is one of several new bells and whistles being introduced by the league’s broadcast partners, representing a potential shift toward more in-depth basketball discussion. Rights-holders have been under the microscope for years regarding their coverage of the league, which players as prominent as LeBron James have bemoaned for focusing on “hot takes” instead of earnest insight.
ESPN is airing a segment called “Coaches Corner” in which color commentator Tim Legler breaks down film with head coaches. New NBC studio analyst Vince Carter has expressed his desire to use the platform to educate fans. Prime introduced a high-tech LED court in its studio, giving experts a visual way to present analysis.
Active coaches and players — even if they don’t have a lot of spare time to nitpick the broadcasts and studio shows themselves — are appreciative of the new direction. If it sticks.
“I think the game is in such a healthy place,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said last week. “Let’s just talk about that. I know there are stories away from the game that need to be talked about. I’m not stupid. I get it. But I think for the youth that watch the game, it’s cool for them more so than the adults that love the game. Teach them what this is and why things are happening.
“I think that brings more of a centered approach to how you watch it, that you’re not just watching a two-minute highlight tape, but you’re actually watching the game and how it progresses throughout the night. That’s the best part of the sport. So I hope they stick to that. I know they said that. So they sounded convincing. So I hope that continues.”
The Nuggets, as usual in the Nikola Jokic era, will be a regular on the national platforms. They’re set to play six games exclusive to ABC and/or ESPN this season, five games available on Amazon Prime (four of them exclusive) and nine available (two exclusive) on Peacock, the streaming arm of NBC.
That means a robust helping of “Roundball Rock” in Denver, for those who mostly just want to bask in the vintage vibes of NBC’s intro and outro music, like Nuggets forward Cam Johnson.
“I mean, I like the jingles,” he said. “The little music with it. You know, the subtle differences in the broadcast.”
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