A Guide To Watching The 2025-26 NBA Season
Source: William Purnell / Getty
After a grueling, long three months, the NBA has returned. There’s a new crop of players, and trades that have reworked this seasons best teams, but that’s not all that’s changed.
After 23 years, the NBA has returned to NBC, in a new 11-year deal with a few other partners, including Prime and League Pass.
With NBC now sharing broadcasting responsibilities, a few changes are necessary to ensure a seamless viewing experience for your squads.
First, it’s important to know that ABC isn’t going anywhere, and since Disney also owns ESPN, the two come as a package deal. Building on their existing hosting of games since the early aughts, they’ll continue to do so. Let’s break it down.
ABC
The ABC/ESPN tandem will host 80 regular season games, —including the Christmas competition— and about 18 games in the first two rounds of the playoffs. They’ll host one of the Conference Finals and still get the honor of broadcasting the Finals.
Inside the NBA is back, with Ernie Johnson as host and a round table of Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith. Peep the rest of the big names below.
Play-by-play announcers: Mike Breen, Dave Pasch, Ryan Ruocco, and Mark Jones
Game analysts: Tim Legler, Richard Jefferson, Doris Burke, Jay Bilas
Sideline reporters: Lisa Salters, Katie George, Jorge Sedano and more to be named
Studio show hosts & analysts: Malika Andrews (host), Michael Malone, Kendrick Perkins and more to be named
NBC
In its return, NBC brings along its streaming partner in Peacock and gets a sweet new deal. NBC will air 100 regular-season games, and about 28 games in the first two rounds of the playoffs. They’ll also get the other half of the Conference Finals, as well as all All-Star Weekend festivities. Voices behind the games are below.
Play-by-play announcers: Mike Tirico, Noah Eagle, Michael Grady, Terry Gannon, Mark Followill
Game analysts: Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford, Grant Hill, Robbie Hummel, Austin Rivers
Studio show hosts & analysts: Maria Taylor and Ahmed Fareed (hosts), Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Grant Liffmann (front office insider)
Sideline reporters: Jordan Cornette, Ashley ShahAhmadi, Zora Stephenson
Prime Video
Now, when it comes to actual new partners for the NBA, there’s Amazon’s Prime Video, which has gained a few years of NFL experience under its belt thanks to Thursday Night Football.
The Jeff Bezos-led company will get 66 regular games and all of the league’s experimental knockout Rounds of the Emirates NBA Cup, as well as the championship game. Prime also gets six games of the NBA Play-In Tournament and one-third of playoff games through the first two rounds. Below is a list of who’ll be reporting.
Play-by-play announcers: Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan, Michael Grady, Eric Collins
Game analysts: Steve Nash, Dwyane Wade, Candace Parker, Stan Van Gundy, Brent Barry, Dell Curry, Jim Jackson
Sideline reporters: Cassidy Hubbarth, Allie Clifton, Kristina Pink, JayDee Dyer
Studio show host & analysts: Taylor Rooks (host), Swin Cash (front office insider), Dirk Nowitzki, Blake Griffin, Udonis Haslem, John Wall, Rudy Gay and active Sixers guard Kyle Lowry (select appearances).
NBA League Pass
For NBA diehards who need to watch all of their local team’s games, NBA League Pass is sticking around. You can purchase it through your cable provider or get it through the NBA App, NBA.com, and Amazon.
The NBA has also launched what appears to be a coach all for all games, dubbed Tap to Watch, which will “leverage the NBA’s vast digital ecosystem to seamlessly direct fans to live NBA games from league, team and a range of popular third-party digital platforms…”
See a breakdown depending on the days of the week below:
- Sunday: ESPN/ABC (afternoon games) & NBC/Peacock (night games)
- Monday: Peacock
- Tuesday: NBC/Peacock
- Wednesday: ESPN
- Thursday: Amazon Prime
- Friday: Amazon Prime & ESPN*
- Saturday: Amazon Prime (afternoon games) & ESPN/ABC (night games).
A Guide To Watching The 2025-26 NBA Season was originally published on cassiuslife.com
