NBC Sports, which marked an era in the 90s by broadcasting the historic six championships won by the Chicago Bulls, is preparing its return to NBA coverage and is doing so with a strong move: Michael Jordan will be part of their commentary team.
PUBLICIDAD
This will be “His Majesty’s” television debut as an analyst and marks his return to the NBA, who in August 2023 sold control of the Charlotte Hornets, although he still holds a minority stake in the team.
PUBLICIDAD
What will Jordan’s role be at NBC?
During the traditional presentation to advertisers that NBCUniversal holds every year at Radio City Music Hall in New York, it was confirmed that Michael Jordan will join as a “special contributor” to the NBA broadcasts, which the network will resume in the fall of this year.
Jordan participated through a recorded video for the event, where he expressed his enthusiasm for the new project that marks the return of the NBA to NBC, absent since 2002.
In a statement, Jordan expressed his excitement: “I am very excited to see the NBA back on NBC. The NBA on NBC was a significant part of my career, and I am thrilled to collaborate as a special contributor on this project. I look forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC begins this October.”
Although the specific functions that Jordan will have within the broadcasts have not been defined yet, NBC Sports pointed out that the best basketball player in history has been actively involved in discussions about his role within the team.
Jordan’s relationship with the network has deep roots, especially through his connection with executive Jon Miller, in addition to his regular presence at events such as the Ryder Cup, the golf tournament that pits the United States against Europe and is also broadcast by NBC.
A nostalgic bet with a taste of the 90s
The announcement of Jordan’s addition is not the only nod to the past in NBC’s strategy. The network also confirmed that they will be using “Roundball Rock,” the memorable theme that was used for NBA broadcasts in the 1990s.
Furthermore, it will use an artificial intelligence-generated version of the voice of Jim Fagan, a historic NBC announcer, for its new promotions, thanks to an agreement with his family.
This return of the NBA to NBC is part of the league’s new broadcast rights agreement, which also includes Amazon Prime Video and the current ABC/ESPN networks. The contract, spanning 11 years and valued at an estimated $76 billion, stipulates that NBC will have a significant package of content including the All-Star Game, Monday games exclusively on Peacock, Tuesday games on NBC, and prime-time games on Sunday nights. Additionally, they will be allocated a third of the playoff games, including a conference final in six of the next eleven seasons.
The network has also begun to assemble its broadcast team. Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle will lead the play-by-play, while Carmelo Anthony will be present in the studio as an analyst. Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller have been confirmed as part of the group of commentators for the games.
The entry of NBC and Amazon into the NBA’s new television broadcast package meant the exit of TNT (Warner Bros. Discovery), which had held the rights since 1989.