1. The long-awaited details of the NBA’s new television contracts were finally disclosed on Wednesday. The league, in association with ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock, and Amazon, unveiled the specifics of the 11-year, $76 billion deals for each network.
This news followed the NBA’s public announcement that it had turned down Warner Bros. Discovery’s matching bid for Amazon’s package, and that the league would be parting ways with TNT after more than three decades of partnership.
Reacting to this, WBD issued a statement to the NBA stating, “We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it. They are overlooking the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our unparalleled coverage, delivered through WBD’s video-first distribution platforms—including TNT, our long-standing partner of 40 years, and Max, our premier streaming service. We believe they have severely misread our contractual rights regarding the 2025–26 season and beyond, and we will respond accordingly. Nonetheless, we anticipate another exciting season of the NBA on TNT and Max, including our legendary Inside the NBA program.”
Legal disputes are likely to arise, but for the time being, here’s what NBA fans need to know about how they’ll be watching games starting from the 2025–26 season.
ABC/ESPN:
• Will broadcast the next 11 NBA Finals
• NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC and NBA Sunday Showcase
• 10 exclusive NBA conference finals
• New NBA studio whip-around show on game nights, featuring live action from various games with real-time highlights and live cut-ins.
• Five Christmas Day games annually
NBC/Peacock:
• A combined 100 national games each regular season between NBC and Peacock
• Sunday Night Basketball, which will start after the NFL Playoffs
• Peacock national Monday night games
• Tuesday night doubleheaders
• Six NBA conference finals series
• All-Star Game and All-Star Saturday Night each season
Amazon:
• 66 regular-season games
• A new Black Friday game
• All games from the knockout rounds of the in-season tournament including semifinals and finals
• Six NBA conference finals series
• Thursday night doubleheaders, which will begin after Amazon’s Thursday Night Football schedule
• Friday night games
• Select Saturday afternoon games
More things you need to know:
• NBC announced that John Tesh’s Roundball Rock will once again be part of its coverage.
TURN IT UP. I LOVE THIS SONG!
The NBA is coming back – Fall 2025 on NBC and Peacock. pic.twitter.com/xz6hOVbpZE
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 24, 2024
• These deals won’t take effect until the 2025–26 season. This means TNT will continue to broadcast NBA games for the upcoming season. That also means Charles Barkley will continue to grace our screens every week with his live commentary, knowing his tenure is nearing its end.
• ESPN will broadcast the next 11 NBA Finals, but it remains uncertain who will take the lead in the booth after JJ Redick left the network to coach the Lakers. This followed Doc Rivers’s departure from ESPN to coach the Bucks, and the controversial firing of Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson by ESPN, widely regarded as one of the worst decisions in sports TV history.
• The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch reported that NBC has chosen Mike Tirico as its primary NBA play-by-play commentator.
2. A few weeks ago, you may have seen this image of Greg Olsen at Christian McCaffrey’s recent wedding circulating on the internet.
Every single person who ever attends a wedding should look like @gregolsen88 at the end of it. pic.twitter.com/7Chvwlm49f
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) July 3, 2024
In a recent episode of the SI Media Podcast, Olsen kindly agreed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the story behind that photo. Surprisingly, he claims the photo was taken early in the evening when he hadn’t yet had many cocktails.
Olsen also discusses his experience transitioning into the upcoming season as Fox’s secondary NFL analyst after serving as its lead analyst for the past two seasons. He shares insights into his relationship with Tom Brady, who will step into the primary analyst role, and whether or not Brady has sought his advice on broadcasting.
Furthermore, Olsen discusses winning a Sports Emmy for the past two years, his thoughts on whether he would have been a good fit for the Tom Brady roast, the greatest tight end of all time, and much more.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina episode below or on Apple and Spotify.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.
3. The Yankees have been on a losing streak, with 22 losses in their last 32 games. They were decisively defeated by the Mets, 12–3, on Wednesday.
After the game, manager Aaron Boone made a rather bewildering statement.
“One of the things I really liked tonight was how engaged we were in that dugout in the 8th and 9th inning when things weren’t going well and the quality of at-bats and not giving in… I was pleased to see that.”
Aaron Boone was asked how his players are responding emotionally to this tough stretch:
“One of the things I really liked tonight was how hooked up we were in that dugout in the 8th and 9th inning… I’m not worried about the compete level with these guys.” pic.twitter.com/q0TEaGwL28
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 25, 2024
While I don’t believe Boone is to blame for the Yankees’ struggles, the responsibility lies with Brian Cashman. However, since the GM has seemingly secured his job for life, there’s little that can be done about it. But Boone can’t go into a press conference after a 12–3 loss and express satisfaction that his team made an effort.
4. In a humorous moment from Wednesday’s episode of Hard Knocks, Giants GM Joe Schoen was seen asking his children for draft advice.
Doesn’t hurt to get drafting advice from all sources, including your kids #HardKnocks Offseason with the @Giants available now on @StreamOnMax . #Giants100pic.twitter.com/hHQloWNvRU
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) July 25, 2024
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