How and why NBA on NBC could and should make a comeback

NBC is rumored to be preparing a bid for part of the NBA’s TV rights after the 2024-25 season.  Here’s how it could happen and why the NBA could benefit.

There wasn’t much that excited me more as a kid growing up during the 1990s than hearing that music. It was time for my favorite thing to watch on TV back then. The anticipation had me feeling like a kid on Christmas, which was usually when the first “NBA on NBC” broadcast of the season was. I still get excited whenever I hear that music.

By now you probably realize I’m talking about John Tesh’s “Roundball Rock.”

NBC produced NBA games for the first time back in 1954. That initial partnership lasted until the end of the 1961-62 season. Most basketball fans 30 and over today remember NBC’s coverage of the Association from 1990-2002.

The league’s popularity exploded during the 1990s. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson had saved the league the previous decade. Bird’s Celtics and Magic’s Lakers gave way to a new generation of stars led by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The “Dream Team” assembled for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona helped grow the sport a little bit too.

I was spoiled as a Bulls fan in the 1990s. I got to witness the great Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in their primes leading my favorite team to six championships. Most of their big regular season games, playoff games, and all six championship-clinching games were on the “NBA on NBC.”

The late, former NBA Commissioner David Stern and then-NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol were marketing geniuses. They were THE best in promoting the league and its stars. The “NBA on NBC” helped make guys like Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Shaquille O’Neal, Reggie Miller, Penny Hardaway, and the late Kobe Bryant household names.

Their promos for marquee matchups were second to none in those days.

I remember it as if it were yesterday: “NBA Showtime,” the “Prudential Halftime Report,” and the “Miller Genuine Moments.” The latter was when NBC aired a historic NBA moment that tied into the game you were watching. Who could forget about Bob Costas, Ahmad Rashad, Hannah Storm, Steve “Snapper” Jones, Mike Fratello, and Marv Albert among others broadcasting games?

NBC also broadcasted the All-Star Game during that time, when it meant something to the players to compete in it. The NBA’s popularity not only increased in the U.S. but it exploded worldwide. Never before had the NBA and its players been promoted like this.  It all happened on the “NBA on NBC.”

NBC’s contract with the NBA expired in 2002. They couldn’t compete with a booming cable market while losing tons of money. The NBA then partnered with ESPN, ABC, and TNT. I quickly became a huge fan of “Inside the NBA”  and the NBA coverage on Turner Sports. However, the league’s coverage on Disney-owned ESPN and ABC hasn’t been the same as NBC’s – at least in this fan’s opinion.

Today, TNT has the best NBA coverage in the business and it’s not even close. The coverage on ESPN and NBA has gotten better over time but they still trail TNT. ESPN and ABC provide dry promotions and broadcasts. The No. 1 ESPN/ABC broadcast team of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson were just recently broken up.

The other networks don’t have “Roundball Rock” either. Fox Sports acquired the rights to the popular theme in 2018.  Later,  All Elite Wrestling (AEW) President Tony Khan acquired the rights to “Roundball Rock” to play during AEW’s “Winter is Coming” show in December of last year.

It felt sacrilegious to hear “Roundball Rock” on any other show besides the “NBA on NBC.” It just didn’t seem right to me.

An NBA on NBC comeback?

What if I told you that there’s a chance the “NBA on NBC” could be making a comeback?

The NBA’s current TV rights deal is up after the 2024-25 season. NBC, now known as NBC Universal, is reportedly preparing a bid to acquire NBA broadcasting rights according to CNBC. CNBC also reported that the NBA is rumored to be seeking anywhere from $2 billion annually to upwards of $75 billion in total for its new TV deal.

A lot has changed since NBC last owned NBA broadcasting rights. Streaming services such as Amazon and Apple TV now compete with cable. They may also compete for a piece of the NBA’s TV rights. ESPN was recently forced to cut significant on-air talent as part of massive budget cuts. Turner Sports, which owns TNT, has been a longtime NBA partner. Will that continue?

A lot has changed with NBC since 2002 as well. They purchased a majority stake in Universal Studios’ parent company, Vivendi, in 2004 and became NBC Universal. Comcast then bought NBC Universal in 2011. That’s why many regional Comcast SportsNet affiliates around the country became NBC Sports affiliates.

NBC now has added firepower behind it. They also have their streaming service to compete with Amazon and other streaming services, “Peacock.” They own multiple outlets that could broadcast NBA basketball that are with the times. NBC really could make a compelling bid to the NBA for 2025!

A lot must happen for NBC to win any percentage of the NBA’s TV rights. According to Axios, both Turner Sports and Disney hold exclusive negotiating rights until next spring. Both could make compelling enough bids to renew with the NBA before NBC or anyone else has a chance to bid.

Or, the NBA could hold out and allow others to bid in hopes of getting to the dollar figure they are reportedly seeking. If it were me, I’d hold out and play hardball for more money. That’s just me. Either way, as a basketball fan that grew up with the NBA on NBC, I hope Comcast and NBC Universal find a way to get it done.

The NBA exploded with NBC as a TV partner in the 1990s. Why not partner again? Stern has since passed away and Ebersol is in his mid-1970s. Current NBA commissioner Adam Silver was head of NBA Entertainment under Stern. I’m sure the Comish has some ideas on how to promote his product.

The terms of NBC acquiring NBA TV rights should include re-acquiring the rights to “Roundball Rock.” If that’s not part of NBC’s future NBA broadcasts they shouldn’t even bother submitting a bid.