More than nostalgia: How NBC thrived and ESPN failed with the NBA

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/05/how-espn-failed-nba-critical-comparison-nbc/

by Jon Lewis 2 weeks ago

With NBC seemingly poised to return to the NBA for the first time since 2002, there has been much discussion of nostalgia. Did NBC really do such a great job as the NBA’s lead broadcast partner, or did the network simply ride the wave of the Michael Jordan era?

To be sure, there was no shortage of ‘right place, right time’ involved in the success of the NBA on NBC, and once that luck ran out, the network was quick to cut ties, lowballing the league in a negotiation that began literally a week after 9/11. Yet to attribute those glory days to Jordan alone is to ignore the various aspects of NBC’s approach that elevated the league as a television property.

Perhaps the best way to understand why the NBA on NBC is so well-remembered — nearly 25 years after the network aired its most recent game — is to examine the coverage provided by its successor, ESPN/ABC.