List of NBA Finals broadcasters: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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!Trophy presentation
|-
| rowspan=2| [[20232024 NBA Finals|20232024]]
|[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]<ref name="2024NBAFinals">{{Cite web |date=2024-06-03 |title=Bang! 2024 NBA Finals Presented By YouTube TV on ABC: Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks Tips Off June 6 |url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2024/06/bang-2024-nba-finals-presented-by-youtube-tv-on-abc-boston-celtics-vs-dallas-mavericks-tips-off-june-6/|access-date=2024-06-03 |website=ESPN Press Room U.S. |language=en-US}}</ref>
|[[Mike Breen]]
|[[Doris Burke]] and [[JJ Redick]]
|''[[Lisa Salters]]''
|[[Steve Javie]]
|[[Malika Andrews]]
|[[Michael Wilbon]], [[Stephen A. Smith]] <small>(all games)</small>, [[Bob Myers]] <small>(Games 1–3, 5)</small>, [[Josh Hart]] <small>(Games 1–2)</small>, [[Paul George]] <small>(Games 3–4)</small>, [[Kendrick Perkins]] <small>(Game 4)</small>, [[Julius Randle]] <small>(Game 5)</small>, and [[Adrian Wojnarowski]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Lisa Salters]]
|-▼
|[[ESPN]] <small>(alternate; Game 3)</small><ref name="2024NBAFinals"/>
| colspan="4" align="center"|N/A
|[[Kevin Hart]]
|The Plastic Cup Boyz and various guests
|-▼
| rowspan=2| [[2023 NBA Finals|2023]]
|[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|[[Mike Breen]]
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|[[Mike Greenberg]]
|[[Jalen Rose]], [[Michael Wilbon]], [[Stephen A. Smith]], and [[Adrian Wojnarowski]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Lisa Salters]]
|-
|[[ESPN2]] <small>(alternate; Game 1)</small>
| colspan="4" align="center"|N/A
|[[Stephen A. Smith]]
|Various guests
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[2022 NBA Finals|2022]]
|[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|[[Mark Jones (sportscaster)|Mark Jones]] <small>(Game 1–2)</small><br>[[Mike Breen]] <small>(Games 3–6)</small>
|[[Mark Jackson]]<br>[[Jeff Van Gundy]] <small>(Games 2–6)</small>
|''[[Lisa Salters]]''
|[[Steve Javie]]
Line 52 ⟶ 72:
|[[Steve Javie]]
|[[Maria Taylor (sportscaster)|Maria Taylor]]
|[[Jalen Rose]], [[Jay Williams (basketball)|Jay Williams]] <small>(Games 1–4)</small>, and [[Adrian Wojnarowski]]
|[[Malika Andrews]]
|-
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*2020: Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the NBA postponed its [[2019–20 NBA season|regular season]] from March 11 to July 29, resuming with the seeding games for the 22 contending teams. Consequently, the 2020 Finals were played inside a [[2020 NBA Bubble|bubble]] at the [[ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex]] in [[Bay Lake, Florida]] from September 30 to October 11, the latest date to end an NBA season. The Finals between the [[2019–20 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] and the [[2019–20 Miami Heat season|Miami Heat]] was the lowest-rated NBA Finals ever (4.0 rating over six games).
*2021: [[Rachel Nichols (journalist)|Rachel Nichols]] was originally assigned to work as a sideline reporter, but was replaced by [[Malika Andrews]] after a private video leaked of Nichols uttering insensitive racial comments towards [[African Americans|African American]] ESPN personality [[Maria Taylor (sportscaster)|Maria Taylor]]. Both Nichols and Taylor eventually left ESPN, with Taylor heading to [[NBC Sports]] after a contract dispute, and Nichols agreeing to a buyout after she was taken off of ESPN programming and had her show, [[The Jump (ESPN talk show)|The Jump]], canceled due to this incident.
*2022: [[ESPN2]] will televisetelevised NBA Finals: Celebrating 75, a special alternate presentation for Game 1 which airaired Thursday at 9 PM ET from Seaport District studios in New York. Several guests will included [[Magic Johnson]] and [[Julius Erving]]. [[Mike Breen]] and [[Jeff Van Gundy]] missed Game 1<ref>{{cite news |last=Contes|first=Brandon|date=June 2, 2022|title=Jeff Van Gundy and Adrian Wojnarowski to miss Game 1 of the NBA Finals between Celtics and Warriors after positive COVID tests|url=https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/jeff-van-gundy-nba-finals-covid.html|work=Awful Announcing|location= |access-date=June 5, 2022}}</ref> due to COVID-19 protocols, and [[Mark Jones (sportscaster)|Mark Jones]] filled in for Breen. Jones, [[Mark Jackson]] and [[Lisa Salters]] made history in Game 1 as the first all-African American broadcast team to cover an NBA Finals game. Breen also missed Game 2, whereas Van Gundy returned.
*2023: ''NBA in Stephen A's World'', an alternate broadcast of ESPN's NBA games with [[Stephen A. Smith]] as host along with various guests, aired on ESPN2 during Game 1 of the Finals.
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| rowspan="3" |[[Doris Burke]]
|-
|[[Sportsnet]] <small>(Canada; games 1, 3 and 5)</small><ref>{{cite web|url=http://media.sportsnet.ca/2019/05/sportsnet-announces-toronto-raptors-nba-finals-broadcast-schedule/|title=Sportsnet Announces Toronto Raptors NBA Finals Broadcast Schedule|author=Rogers Media (press release)|date=May 27, 2019|access-date=June 11, 2019}}</ref>
|rowspan=2|[[Matt Devlin (sportscaster)|Matt Devlin]]
|[[Leo Rautins]]
Line 103 ⟶ 123:
|[[Alvin Williams]] and [[Sherman Hamilton]]
|-
|[[The Sports Network|TSN]] <small>(Canada; games 2, 4 and 6)</small><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/tsn-announces-schedule-for-nba-finals-featuring-toronto-raptors-vs-golden-state-warriors/|title=TSN Announces Schedule for NBA Finals, Featuring Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors|author=Bell Media (press release)|date=May 27, 2019|access-date=June 11, 2019}}</ref>
|[[Jack Armstrong (basketball)|Jack Armstrong]]
|''[[Kate Beirness]]''
|[[Rod Black]]<br>[[James Duthie (sportscaster)|James Duthie]] <small>(2nd panel)</small>
|Leo Rautins and [[Sam Mitchell (basketball)|Sam Mitchell]]<br>[[Chris Bosh]] <small>(2nd panel)</small>
|-
|[[2018 NBA Finals|2018]]
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|[[Mike Breen]]
|[[Mark Jackson]] and [[Jeff Van Gundy]]
|''[[Doris Burke]]'' and ''[[Craig Sager]]'' <small>(Game 6)</small>
|[[Steve Javie]]
|[[Sage Steele]]
Line 146 ⟶ 166:
|[[Steve Javie]]
|[[Sage Steele]]
|[[Jalen Rose]], [[Doug Collins (basketball)|Doug Collins]], and [[Dwyane Wade]] <small>(Games 2, 3, 6)</small>
|[[Doris Burke]]
|-
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|[[ESPN 3D]]
|[[Mark Jones (sportscaster)|Mark Jones]]
|[[Bruce Bowen]] <small>(Games 1–2, 5–6)</small><br>[[Tim Legler]] <small>(GmsGames 3–4)</small>
|-
|[[2010 NBA Finals|2010]]
Line 285 ⟶ 305:
|[[Marv Albert]]
|[[Bill Walton]] and [[Steve Jones (basketball)|Steve Jones]]
|''[[Jim Gray (sportscaster)|Jim Gray]]'' and ''[[Lewis Johnson (commentator)|Lewis Johnson]]''
|[[Bob Costas]]
|[[Tom Tolbert]]
Line 294 ⟶ 314:
|[[Marv Albert]]
|[[Doug Collins (basketball)|Doug Collins]]
|''[[Jim Gray (sportscaster)|Jim Gray]]'' and ''[[Lewis Johnson (commentator)|Lewis Johnson]]''
|[[Ahmad Rashad]]
|[[Kevin Johnson (basketball)|Kevin Johnson]], [[P. J. Carlesimo]], [[Bill Walton]], and [[Steve Jones (basketball)|Steve Jones]]
Line 315 ⟶ 335:
*[[2006 NBA Finals|2006]]: [[Lisa Salters]] was the main sideline reporter alongside [[Stuart Scott]] with [[Michele Tafoya]] on maternity leave. She was the main [[NBA on ABC|ABC]] sideline reporter for [[2005–06 NBA season|that season]] before sliding back to secondary reporter with Tafoya's return.
*[[2003 NBA Finals|2003]]: The series between the [[2002–03 San Antonio Spurs season|San Antonio Spurs]] and the [[2002–03 New Jersey Nets season|New Jersey Nets]] was the lowest rated NBA Final (6.5 percent over six games) until 2007. This was also the only year that ABC broadcast both the NBA and the Stanley Cup Finals that involved teams from one city in the same year, as both the New Jersey Nets and the [[2002–03 New Jersey Devils season|New Jersey Devils]] were in their respective league's finals. During ABC's broadcast of Game 3 between the San Antonio Spurs and the Nets in New Jersey on June 8, [[Brad Nessler]] said that ABC was in a unique situation getting ready for both that game and Game 7 of the [[2003 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Finals]] between the Devils and the [[2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season|Mighty Ducks of Anaheim]] the following night, also at [[Continental Airlines Arena]]. [[Gary Thorne]] mentioned this the following night and thanked Nessler for promoting [[NHL on ABC|ABC]]'s broadcast of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.<ref>{{cite video|title=NHL on ABC: Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals|medium=television|date=June 9, 2003|publisher=ABC Sports}}</ref>
*During the [[2002 NBA Finals]], [[Ahmad Rashad]] had told ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' before the 2002 NBA Finals began that he would be ending his 20-year run on NBC Sports with Game 3 of the NBA Finals on the pregame show. A feature in which he interviewed [[Shaquille O'Neal]] and [[Kobe Bryant]] would be his last assignment for the network. He and [[Hannah Storm]] were replaced by [[Bob Costas]] as host of the pregame show for the Finals, and Rashad declined to join Hannah Storm on the post-game show carried by [[CNBC]].<ref>{{cite news|url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/2002archives/la-xpm-2002-jun/-10/sports/-sp-tvcolumn10-story.html|title=Walton Delivers the Jabs, O'Neal the Knockout|date=June 10, 2002|first=Larry|last=Stewart|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=September 15, 2009}}</ref>
*[[2001 NBA Finals|2001]]: NBC studio host [[Hannah Storm]] did not anchor the NBA Finals due to her being on maternity leave, so [[Ahmad Rashad]] replaced her. She returned to cover the NBA Finals in [[2002 NBA Finals|2002]], but as postgame host.
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|[[NBA on NBC|NBC]]
|[[Marv Albert]]
|[[Mike Fratello]]<br>[[Magic Johnson]] <small>(Games 1–5)</small>
|''[[Ahmad Rashad]]'' and ''[[Hannah Storm]]''
|[[Bob Costas]]
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|[[NBA on NBC|NBC]]
|[[Marv Albert]]
|[[Mike Fratello]]<br>[[Magic Johnson]] <small>(Games 1, 4–5)</small>
|''[[Ahmad Rashad]]''
|[[Bob Costas]]
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=====Notes=====
*The retirement of [[Michael Jordan]] set in motion the decline in NBA ratings which continued for several years. Ratings for the [[1999 NBA Finals]] (which in fairness, came after a lockout shortened season) were down significantly from the previous year, from an 18.7 to an 11.3. Primetime regular season games, which had become fairly routine (and highly rated) during the Jordan years, set record lows for NBC once Jordan retired. With the rise of the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] in the early part of the 2000s (decade), ratings improved, but never to the level of the 1980s or 1990s. The highest NBA Finals ratings on NBC after Jordan left was the [[2001 NBA Finals|2001 Finals]], which featured the dominant and then-defending champion [[2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers season|Lakers]] with [[Shaquille O'Neal]] and [[Kobe Bryant]] versus the polarizing [[Allen Iverson]] and the underdog [[2000–01 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia 76ers]]. The ratings for that series were a 12.1, still down 35 percent from 1998. NBC's last Finals, in [[2002 NBA Finals|2002]], came after a resurgence in playoff ratings (including a 14.2 rating for Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals). However, the Finals itself registered the lowest ratings the event had seen since [[1981 NBA Finals|1981]], topping out at a 10.2 average.
*[[1998 NBA Finals|1998]]: The Finals between the [[1997–98 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago Bulls]] and the [[1997–98 Utah Jazz season|Utah Jazz]] was the [[National Basketball Association Nielsen ratings|highest rated]] NBA Finals ever (18.7 percent rating over six games). [[Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals|Game 6]] registered a 22.3 [[Nielsen rating]] with a 38 share and attracted 72 million viewers and became the highest rated game in the history of the NBA.<ref>{{cite news|title=72 million saw Bulls take the prize|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1998/06/17/STYLE1021.dtl|access-date=July 29, 2011|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|date=June 17, 1998|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> The previous record was a 21.2 rating and 37 share for Game 7 of the [[1988 NBA Finals]] between the Los Angeles Lakers and [[Detroit Pistons]].<ref name="la times">{{cite news|url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/1998archives/la-xpm-1998-jun/-17/sports/-sp-60729-story.html|title=NBA Players Removed from U.S. Rosters|date=June 17, 1998|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=February 13, 2009}}</ref>
*During the [[1997 NBA Finals]], [[Hannah Storm]] became the first woman to serve as pre-game host of the [[NBA Finals]] after serving as a sideline reporter for [[NBA on NBC|NBC]] in the past four years, but she wasn't the first female broadcaster to cover the NBA Finals (that honor goes to [[Lesley Visser]]).
*[[1994 NBA Finals|1994]]: During Game 5 (June 17, 1994) most [[NBC]] [[List of NBC television affiliates (by U.S. state)|affiliates]] (except for the network's [[WNBC|New York]] and [[KNBC|Los Angeles]] owned-and-operated stations (the latter of which did not carry most of the game), along with its [[KPRC-TV|Houston affiliate]]) [[Split screen (filmmaking)#In television|split-screened]] coverage of the game with [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|NFL Hall of Famer]] [[O. J. Simpson]]'s [[O. J. Simpson murder case|low speed freeway chase]] with the [[Los Angeles Police Department|LAPD]].
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|[[Hubie Brown]]
|''[[Pat O'Brien (television)|Pat O'Brien]]'' and ''[[James Brown (sportscaster)|James Brown]]''
|[[Brent Musburger]]<br>[[Pat O'Brien (television)|Pat O'Brien]] <small>(Game 2 Only)</small>
|
|[[Brent Musburger]]
Line 458 ⟶ 478:
|[[Billy Cunningham]]
|''[[Pat O'Brien (television)|Pat O'Brien]]'', ''[[Lesley Visser]]'', and ''[[James Brown (sportscaster)|James Brown]]''
|[[Brent Musburger]]<br>[[Pat O'Brien (television)|Pat O'Brien]] <small>(Game 2 Only)</small>
|
|[[Brent Musburger]]
Line 466 ⟶ 486:
|[[Dick Stockton]]
|[[Tom Heinsohn]]
|''[[Pat O'Brien (television)|Pat O'Brien]]'' and ''[[James Brown (sportscaster)|James Brown]]'' <small>(Games 3 and 4 Only)</small>
|[[Brent Musburger]]
|
Line 484 ⟶ 504:
|[[Dick Stockton]]
|[[Tom Heinsohn]]
|''[[Pat O'Brien (television)|Pat O'Brien]]'' and ''[[Lesley Visser]]''
|[[Brent Musburger]]
|
Line 512 ⟶ 532:
|[[Bill Russell]]
|
|[[Brent Musburger]] <small>(Games 1–2, 5, and 6)</small><br>[[Frank Glieber]] <small>(Games 2–4)</small><br>[[Pat O'Brien (radio and television personality)|Pat O'Brien]] <small>(Game 5)</small>
|[[Hubie Brown]] and [[Kevin Loughery]]
|[[Dick Stockton]]
Line 572 ⟶ 592:
|[[NBA on CBS|CBS]]
|[[Brent Musburger]]
|[[Rick Barry]]<br>[[Steve Jones (basketball)|Steve Jones]] <small>(Game 1)</small><br>[[John Havlicek]] <small>(Games 2, 4 and 7)</small><br>[[Gus Johnson (basketball)|Gus Johnson]] <small>(Game 3)</small><br>[[Keith Erickson]] <small>(Games 4 and 5)</small>
|
|
Line 794 ⟶ 814:
!Studio host
!Studio analyst(s)
|-
|[[2024 NBA Finals|2024]]
|[[ESPN Deportes]]
|[[Ernesto Jerez]]
|[[Fabricio Oberto]]
|''Sebastian Christensen'' and ''Katia Castorena''
|[[Leo Montero]]
|[[Andrés Nocioni]]
|-
|[[2023 NBA Finals|2023]]
Line 908 ⟶ 936:
|'''Studio host(s)'''
|'''Studio analyst(s)'''
|-
|[[2024 NBA Finals|2024]]
|[[NBA on ESPN Radio|ESPN]]<ref name="2024NBAFinals"/>
|[[Marc Kestecher]]
|[[P. J. Carlesimo]]
|''[[Jorge Sedano]]''
|[[Kevin Winter]]
|
|-
|[[2023 NBA Finals|2023]]
Line 920 ⟶ 956:
|[[NBA on ESPN Radio|ESPN]]
|[[Marc Kestecher]]
|[[Doris Burke]] and [[P. J. Carlesimo]] <small>(Games 1–2, 5–6)</small>
|''[[Monica McNutt]]'' and ''[[Rosalyn Gold-Onwude]]''
|[[Kevin Winter]]
Line 964 ⟶ 1,000:
|[[NBA on ESPN Radio|ESPN]]
|[[Marc Kestecher]]
|[[Hubie Brown]] <small>(Games 1–3)</small><br>[[Jon Barry]] <small>(Game 4)</small>
|''[[Ramona Shelburne]]''
|[[Kevin Winter]]
|[[Jon Barry]] <small>(Games 1–3)</small><br>[[P. J. Carlesimo]] <small>(Game 4)</small>
|-
|[[2017 NBA Finals|2017]]
Line 1,003 ⟶ 1,039:
|[[2013 NBA Finals|2013]]<ref name="2013 NBA Finals" />
|[[NBA on ESPN Radio|ESPN]]
|[[Mike Tirico]] <small>(Games 1–3, 5–7)</small><br>[[Kevin Calabro]] <small>(Game 4)</small>
|[[Hubie Brown]]
|''[[Marc Stein (reporter)|Marc Stein]]''
Line 1,308 ⟶ 1,344:
|[[Seattle SuperSonics]]<br>[[Chicago Bulls]]
|[[Kevin Calabro]]<br>[[Neil Funk]]
|[[Marques Johnson]]<br><br>
▲|
|-
|[[1993 NBA Finals|1993]]
Line 1,320 ⟶ 1,356:
|[[Portland Trail Blazers]]<br>[[Chicago Bulls]]
|[[Bill Schonely]]<br>[[Neil Funk]]
|?[[Mike Rice (basketball)|Mike Rice]]<br>[[Tom Boerwinkle]]
|-
|[[1991 NBA Finals|1991]]
Line 1,332 ⟶ 1,368:
|[[Portland Trail Blazers]]<br>[[Detroit Pistons]]
|[[Bill Schonely]]<br>[[George Blaha]]
|[[Geoff Petrie]]<br>[[Greg Kelser]]
▲|
|-
|}
Line 1,349 ⟶ 1,385:
|[[Los Angeles Lakers]]<br>[[Detroit Pistons]]
|[[Chick Hearn]]<br>[[George Blaha]]
|[[Stu Lantz]]<br>?[[Greg Kelser]]
|-
|[[1988 NBA Finals|1988]]
Line 1,355 ⟶ 1,391:
|[[Los Angeles Lakers]]<br>[[Detroit Pistons]]
|[[Chick Hearn]]<br>[[George Blaha]]
|[[Stu Lantz]]<br>?<br>
|-
|[[1987 NBA Finals|1987]]
Line 1,367 ⟶ 1,403:
|[[Los Angeles Lakers]]<br>[[Boston Celtics]]
|[[Chick Hearn]]<br>[[Johnny Most]]
|?[[Keith Erickson]]<br>[[Glenn Ordway]]
|}