1. The continuing saga of the NBA’s new television deals came to a theoretical end on Wednesday when the league, along with ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock and Amazon, announced the details of the 11-year, $76 billion agreements for each outlet.
These announcements came quickly after the NBA publicly revealed that it had rejected Warner Bros. Discovery’s matching offer for Amazon’s package and that the league would be moving on from TNT after 30-plus years.
WBD immediately responded to the NBA by saying, “We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it. In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage, delivered through the full combined reach of WBD’s video-first distribution platforms—including TNT, home to our four-decade partnership with the league, and Max, our leading streaming service. We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025–26 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action. We look forward, however, to another great season of the NBA on TNT and Max including our iconic Inside the NBA.”
So lawsuits will happen, but for now, this is what you, the NBA fan, need to know about how you will consume games beginning with the 2025–26 season.
ABC/ESPN:
• Will air 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. This will include highlighting live action from around the league 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 begin following 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 made sure to announce that John Tesh’s Roundball Rock will again be part of its coverage.
🗣 TURN IT UP. I LOVE THIS SONG!
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 24, 2024
The NBA is coming back - Fall 2025 on NBC and Peacock. pic.twitter.com/xz6hOVbpZE
• These deals don’t kick in until the 2025–26 season. That means TNT will still air the NBA this coming season. That means Charles Barkley will be on live television every week with a microphone knowing he’s on his way out.
• ESPN has the next 11 NBA Finals, but their lead booth is a complete mystery after JJ Redick left the network to go coach the Lakers, which came after Doc Rivers left ESPN to go coach the Bucks, which came after ESPN fired Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson in one of the worst sports TV decisions ever.
• The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch reported that NBC will go with Mike Tirico as its lead NBA play-by-play man.
2. You may have seen this photo of Greg Olsen at Christian McCaffrey’s recent wedding going around the internet a few weeks ago.
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
Well, Olsen was a great sport and joined me on this week’s SI Media Podcast to do a full breakdown on all the details behind that photo. Shockingly, Olsen claims the pic was from early in the night and he hadn’t even had many cocktails.
Olsen also talks about what it’s like going into this season as Fox’s No. 2 NFL analyst after being its lead analyst the last two seasons. Olsen reveals what his relationship is like with Tom Brady, who will move into that No. 1 analyst slot, and whether Brady has come to him for broadcasting advice.
In addition, Olsen also talks about winning a Sports Emmy the last two years, whether he would’ve been a good addition to the Tom Brady roast, the greatest tight end of all time and much more.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina 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 lost 22 of their last 32 games. On Wednesday, they got blown out by the Mets, 12–3.
After the game, Aaron Boone gave one of the most ridiculous quotes you’ll ever hear from a manager.
“One of the things I really liked tonight was how hooked up we were in that dugout in the 8th and 9th inning when it wasn’t going well and the level 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:
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 25, 2024
"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
I don’t think the Yankees’ problems are Boone’s fault. The problems are Brian Cashman’s fault. But the GM has a job for life, so there’s nothing that can be done. But Boone can’t go into a press conference after a 12–3 loss and say he’s happy his team tried.
4. Amusing moment in Wednesday’s episode of Hard Knocks with Giants GM Joe Schoen asking his kids 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
5. There has been so much said about Joe Burrow shaving his head and dying his hair blond. Meanwhile, when the quarterback was asked Wednesday why he went with the new look, his entire answer, in full Joe Cool mode, was, “I was bored.”
Everything Joe Burrow said about his new hair, in 37 seconds:#Bengals pic.twitter.com/GGaW84AfsR
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) July 24, 2024
6. The trailer for Steph Curry’s upcoming mockumentary, Mr. Throwback, has dropped. The show comes out Aug. 8 on Peacock and this is the official synopsis: “A down-on-his-luck memorabilia dealer (Adam Pally) looks for redemption by reuniting with his sixth-grade teammate, NBA legend Steph Curry.”
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: HBO’s great series, Veep, has seen a viewership surge of more than 300% in recent days for obvious reasons. If you’ve never watched the show, this is a great time to binge.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Here’s What Disney, NBC and Amazon Are Getting in New NBA TV Deal.
