Tirico to return to the NBA as the voice for NBC
Mike Tirico, who called NBA games for 15 seasons for ESPN from 2002-2016, is returning to the NBA as NBC Sports’ lead play-by-play voice when its coverage of the association begins with the 2025-26 season this October across NBC and Peacock.
He is expected to work one or more games per week once NBC Sports’ coverage of the NFL and Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games conclude in February 2026. He will call select games prior to that time, including the NBA season opener in October 2025.
Tirico has extensive NBA experience, calling about 375 regular-season and playoff games from 2002-2016 for ABC, ESPN, and ESPN Radio. From 2003-2005, Tirico was the main studio host for ESPN’s coverage, including the NBA Finals and the presentation of the Larry O’Brien Trophy to the NBA champions. Additionally, in 2007-2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015, he served as the play-by-play voice of the NBA Finals on ESPN Radio.
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Happy to be back doing the NBA
“I could not be more thrilled about returning courtside to call NBA games,” said Tirico. “My 15 years of chronicling the best basketball players in the world still stands as one of the highlights of my career. Like so many others, my love of the league took hold during the unforgettable days of the NBA on NBC back in the ’90s. The chance to be a part of the team bringing that iconic partnership back to life has us incredibly excited.”
While it is not yet known who will be his broadcast partner on NBC will be he has had plenty of good partners. During his 15 seasons calling games for ESPN, he worked the majority of games with Hubie Brown, but his other analyst partners included Jon Barry, Doris Burke, P.J. Carlesimo, Sean Elliott, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Steve Snapper Jones, George Karl, Tim Legler, Chris Mullin, Dr. Jack Ramsay, Jalen Rose (now on NBC Sports’ college basketball coverage), Tom Tolbert, and Bill Walton
Tirico is the voice of many of NBC Sports’ biggest events, serving as its Olympics primetime host and the play-by-play voice for Sunday Night Football, pacing to be primetime television’s No. 1 show for a record 14 consecutive years. Since joining NBC Sports in 2016, Tirico has also hosted or called high-profile events such as the Kentucky Derby, Indianapolis 500, Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final, U.S. Olympic Team Trials, golf’s U.S. Open, Open Championship, THE PLAYERS, and TOUR Championship, and more.
NBC is part of the new NBA deal starting in 2026
The new 11-year deal will be worth 76 billion dollars far from their present $24 billion pact set to expire at the end of this season. The new deal was signed last summer and adds two new partners in NBC/Peacock and Amazon Prime Video. Back will be ABC/ESPN and gone is long-time partner TNT.
“Our new global media agreements with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon will maximize the reach and accessibility of NBA games for fans in the United States and around the world,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “These partners will distribute our content across a wide range of platforms and help transform the fan experience over the next decade.”
