NBA fans are going to need to get used to a very different media landscape when the season tips off in October. That’s because the league’s new media rights deal is kicking in, resulting in changes across the board in the way the league is covered. Inside the NBA is moving from TNT to ESPN, the NBA on NBC is coming back after being gone for over 23 years and Amazon is entering the fray as a new league partner.
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Both NBC and Amazon have made some fresh and exciting hires to lead their coverage. Having these new voices should elevate the discourse around the game, which in turn will make for a better viewing experience from home.
Dirk Nowitzki is one of those fresh faces. He’s joining Amazon as an in-studio analyst, where he’ll be working alongside Taylor Rooks and Blake Griffin, among others.
Dirk joined the DLLS Mavs podcast to shed some light on why he decided to come out of retirement to take a media gig, and he had some interesting things to say.
“This opportunity came up with Amazon Prime, and I thought, ‘Hey, let me take this meeting, you just never know,'” Dirk said. “I flew out to L.A. and really loved my bosses, loved the vision they had, loved the team that they assembled behind the camera and also in front of the camera and so I just thought it was a great opportunity to try something new and see if I like it.”
More than just being a fun post-retirement hobby though, Dirk saw the chance to share his knowledge and love for the game as a way to improve the way the league is covered and talked about.
“I think the coverage on some channels is a little negative on the NBA,” he said. “I think we just need to switch gears and have some fun, but also show how hard it is to play in this league, maybe analyze it a little more. So I’m excited for it, and we’ll see how it goes.”
They say that people perform better at work when they’re surrounded by people they like and respect. If that’s the case, Dirk is going to do just fine with Amazon.“To me, the most important thing was the crew that they assembled,” he explained.
“I didn’t want to go and spend all this time and fly to L.A. once a week if I have no fun and I don’t like the people that I work with. So this was important to me that Nashy’s doing it, and Blake, and Udonis and lots of guys that I have relationships with. I think it’s going to be a fun crew to sit there and talk some hoops and talk life and especially have some fun,” he added.
In addition to the name’s Dirk mentioned, Amazon has also brought on his two-time Finals adversary Dwyane Wade, Candace Parker, Dell Curry and John Wall, among others. NBC has an All-Star lineup of its own, with Michael Jordan, Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Reggie Miller and Grant Hill as just a few of its biggest names.
Dirk changed the game with his ability to shoot and stretch the floor as a big man. NBA fans should be excited to see how he and all of these new analysts change the way the game is covered.
