Michael Jordan will join NBC as a special contributor to its NBA coverage beginning in the 2025-26 season.
NBC will be the home of national NBA broadcasts next season after nearly 22 years in the wilderness. It was the home of the NBA Finals from 1991 to 2002 and broadcast all six of Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ six championship wins. ABC/ESPN acquired the rights in 2003.
Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time. He was a 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBAer, earned nine All-Defensive Team selections, and a 10-time scoring champion. He won five regular season MVP awards and one Defensive Player of the Year award.
“I am so excited to see the NBA back on NBC,” Jordan said in a statement. “The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this October.”
The network will broadcast up to 100 regular season games, the All-Star game, and select playoff games. The games will also be available to stream on Peacock. The NBA Finals will remain on ABC.
NBC Lands Its Biggest Swing Yet
Jordan, now 62, has never been part of a national broadcast in a commentary role. While it’s still unclear exactly what his role will be, it is unquestionably a massive acquisition.
Previously, NBC announced Reggie Miller, Carmelo Anthony, and Jamal Crawford as former players who would be joining the broadcast team as analysts. One can only hope that there will be opportunities for Jordan and Miller to walk down memory lane of some of those memorable battles between the Indiana Pacers and Bulls.
In addition, Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle were earlier confirmed as play-by-play announcers.
There are more hiring announcements for the NBA broadcast team expected to be announced in the coming months.
NBA Broadcast Coverage Intensifying
NBC isn’t the only network landing some big names.
Amazon Prime will also be covering the NBA next season and announced Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and Blake Griffin as analysts on their broadcast team. Taylor Rooks will operate as host for the panel discussions.
Amazon Prime Video is expected to stream games predominantly on Fridays and Saturdays as part of an 11-year agreement.
The streaming platform will also be home to the In-Season Tournament and will alternate conference finals games with NBC.