During Michael Jordan‘s heyday, NBC Sports, the NBA’s broadcasting partners at the time, did a splendid job covering the league and its brightest star – at least according to the Chicago Bulls superstar himself. In a conversation with Bryan Curtis on The Ringer’s Press Box Podcast, former NBC sportscaster Bob Costas spoke about Jordan’s glowing review of the network from this time.
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Costas first learned about the Hall of Famer’s appreciation for NBC Sports’ NBA coverage through journalist and commentator Ahmad Rashad. He then heard straight from the horse’s mouth when President Barack Obama presented Jordan with the Presidential Medal of Honor in one of his final acts as the commander-in-chief.
Talking about his conversation with the six-time NBA champion during the ceremony, Costas said,
“Michael [Jordan] was chatting me up a little bit and it was clear that he had an appreciation of whatever small role that I had played and somewhat larger role NBC overall had played. Michael Jordan would’ve been a legend if he was only on the radio. But I do think the coverage of the Jordan era on NBC certainly enhanced it.”
NBC initially broadcasted the NBA from 1954 to 1962 but did not extend its partnership with the league due to low ratings. However, Jordan and the Bulls’ rise to prominence in the late 1980s prompted the network to bring the NBA back on its airwaves.
NBC was the league’s nationwide broadcaster from 1990 to 2001. This meant that all six championships that Jordan the Bulls won were on their network.
Additionally, the league also broadcast the Hakeem Olajuwon-led Houston Rockets’ back-to-back title wins in the mid-1990s, the San Antonio Spurs dynasty’s first championship, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ three-peat.
The 1990s helped pave the way for the NBA to become a global behemoth, and NBC’s sensational work as broadcasters played a massive role in it. So, with them now coming back to reprise their previous role, it almost seems as if the prodigal son has returned.
NBC will receive broadcasting rights to the NBA again in 2025
The NBA’s 13-year stint with NBC concluded at the end of the 2002 NBA Finals, following which, the league moved to ESPN and TNT. Since then, the two networks have had somewhat of a duopoly on the league’s broadcasting rights for the last 22 years. But it is now set to end in 2025.
The NBA is closing in on a massive $76 billion, 11-year media rights deal
Per year:
• Disney $2.6 billion
• NBC $2.5 billion
• Amazon $1.8 billionThe deal increases the league’s annual media revenue by 250% pic.twitter.com/WpcefyryNW
— Morning Brew ☕️ (@MorningBrew) June 5, 2024
The NBA is close to signing a record-shattering 11-year, $76 billion with Disney, NBC, and Amazon. Disney, ESPN’s parent company, will continue broadcasting the league until 2036, while NBC and Amazon will replace TNT going forward.
The return of the NBA on NBC would certainly put a smile on the faces of those who grew up watching the league in the 1990s and early 2000s. Perhaps even Michael Jordan, who was such a massive fan of their work as the league’s broadcaster, may consider taking a role with the company.
