Mike Tirico to Lead Play-by-Play Announcing for NBC NBA Coverage

NBC has officially announced that Mike Tirico will be the lead play-by-play announcer for its NBA coverage next season. This move was widely expected after NBC signed an 11-year contract with the NBA last summer. Before joining NBC in 2016, Tirico was part of ESPN and ABC’s coverage of the league, where he called 313 NBA regular-season and playoff games.

Starting next season, Tirico will have a busy schedule from September through May 2026. In addition to calling NBA games, he will also be the voice of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” package and lead its Olympics coverage for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games. He will call select NBA games on NBC and Peacock in the first half of the season, including the season opener in October.

NBC will air up to 100 regular-season NBA games, including Sunday night games once the NFL season is over. Tuesday games will also be part of the regular season schedule, while a Monday night doubleheader will be exclusively streamed on Peacock. NBC will broadcast the All-Star Game and All-Star Saturday Night as well.

During the playoffs, NBC and/or Peacock will show up to 28 games in the first two rounds, with at least half airing on NBC. NBC will also carry one of the two conference finals in six of the 11 years covered by the contract.

As NBC gears up for the upcoming season, it has also announced that Jamal Crawford will join as a game analyst and Frank DiGraci will serve as coordinating producer. Prime Video has named Taylor Rooks, Blake Griffin, and Dirk Nowitzki to its studio show.

The hiring cycle for NBC, ESPN/ABC, and Prime Video for next season is expected to ramp up with the All-Star Game on the horizon. NBC is still finalizing its lineup but is expected to include Noah Eagle, who currently covers college football, college basketball, and some NFL games. Jalen Rose, a game analyst for college basketball on NBC/Peacock, is also rumored to be part of NBC’s NBA coverage team.

NBC’s executive producer, Sam Flood, is excited about the new team they are assembling, calling it one of the most exciting launches in the company’s history. He believes that Tirico, Crawford, and DiGraci provide a solid foundation that they will continue to build upon as they prepare for the upcoming NBA season.