The NBA on ESPN
Encyclopedia
The NBA on ESPN refers to the presentation of National Basketball Association
(NBA) games on the ESPN
family of networks. The ESPN cable network first televised NBA games from 1983 to 1984, and has been airing games currently since the 2002–03 NBA season. ESPN2
began airing a limited schedule of NBA games in 2002. ESPN on ABC
began televising NBA games in 2006 (ABC Sports aired NBA games under the title of the NBA on ABC from 2002 to 2006).
is the broadcast home of the NBA. ABC airs games on Christmas Day and under the title of NBA Sunday Showcase, Sunday afternoons from January through the end of the season, continuing to air games throughout the early rounds of the NBA Playoffs
, culminating with exclusive coverage of the NBA Finals
.
ESPN airs NBA games on Wednesdays
, Fridays
and Sundays. Most NBA games on the ESPN cable network air on Fridays at 8:00 p.m ET
and 7:30 p.m PT as part of "Coast to Coast" doubleheaders. Games on Wednesdays are mostly single games, televised at 9:00 p.m ET (usually following an ACC
college basketball game). In addition to games on ABC, several Sundays throughout the season also feature ESPN televised games, usually during the evening.
ESPN's presentation of games is referred to as NBA (name of day) (i.e., NBA Wednesday, NBA Friday and NBA Sunday). Games on holidays or days when ESPN does not usually air games (Tuesdays, Saturdays, etc.) are branded as NBA Special Edition. The telecast also was formerly known as ESPNBA. Only the Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and Special Edition games are not exclusive, in which local sports networks may still air the game in their home market. Likewise the first round playoff coverage is not exclusive.
As part of the NBA's cable-heavy TV deal, ESPN airs one Conference Final
per year (the Eastern Conference Final in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008
and 2010, and the Western Conference Final in 2005, 2007,2009, and 2011). Most Conference Final games are televised on ESPN itself, with usually Game 4 and Game 7 set aside for ABC. Outside of the Conference Finals, ESPN airs playoff games only on Fridays and Saturdays (with competitor TNT airing the majority of games on the other nights of the week).
ESPN airs the NBA Draft
each season, as well as the NBA Draft Lottery
(with the exception of 2003
, when ABC aired the Draft Lottery prior to a Conference Final game on the network).
For the 2006–07 NBA season, ESPN used ABC's theme music from the previous two years, marking the second time that the network took its corporate sibling's NBA theme. Also, NBA games used graphics that had previously been only used on ESPN's coverage of Monday Night Football
. Because of the move from ABC Sports to ESPN on ABC
, ESPN's graphics, music and complete presentation are used on games televised on ABC. The graphic change to the MNF like graphics was one of the few graphic changes ESPN made for 2006-07. ESPN also changed its general color scheme from red, white, and blue, to black and gold. In the 2008 NBA Playoffs, the banner was slightly edited. There is now a black and gold border around the banner, to better flow with the graphics package. When info and stats slide up from the banner, the gold border is visible as well. Also, the team logos were in smaller, glossy parallelograms in their respective color backgrounds. With a new graphics package debuting on MNF in the 2008-09 season http://espnmediazone.com/press_releases/2008_09_sep/20080905_MNFProductionTechnology.htm, the same graphics were introduced in the April 8, 2009 telecast of the NBA on ESPN. On March 14, 2010, the new "MNF"-like graphics debuted on the NBA on ABC Sunday presentation between the Celtics and Cavaliers. The graphics also debuted on Monday's telecast of NBA on ESPN. Prior to the 2010-11 season, they added the timeout count on the in-game graphics, adopted from ESPN College Football
. Beginning with the 2011 NBA Playoffs
, an updated composition of ESPN's theme 'Fast Break' was played, along with new in-game presentations. The score banner and other graphics remained the same.
The game between the New York Knicks
and the Miami Heat
on December 17, 2010, was the first NBA game ever aired on 3D
, courtesy of ESPN 3D
. The network plans to air 14 NBA regular season games, as well as select playoff games, in 3D.
and John Andariese
were some of the voices of the original telecasts of The NBA on ESPN, which lasted only two seasons. Tom Mees
was among the studio hosts. During a commercial break of a game at Madison Square Garden
, the announcers (Greg Gumbel and Chris Berman) danced to the song "Little Darling" that was played on the public address system of the arena. That blooper reel is still often played when ESPN celebrates a milestone.
Other announcers during this period included:
Originally, ESPN (and ABC's) lead broadcast team was Brad Nessler
and Bill Walton
. Nessler and Walton (eventually joined by Tom Tolbert
on ABC) worked NBA Wednesday games most weeks during the 2002-03 season
. For NBA Friday, Mike Tirico
and Tom Tolbert
worked late night West Coast
games while John Saunders and Sean Elliott
did the early games. For the playoffs, ESPN added Jim Durham
to its list of television play-by-play voices and used the ABC main team of Nessler, Walton and Tolbert for its coverage of the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals.
After low ratings on ABC and for the Conference Finals, ESPN reshuffled its announcing group. With the addition of Al Michaels
to the ABC NBA line-up, ESPN dissolved the Nessler-Tolbert-Walton team, keeping Nessler as the main announcer but pairing him with Sean Elliott
and Dan Majerle
. Walton was demoted significantly, working games sporadically (including most of the ESPN NBA Sunday games with either Jim Durham
or Brent Musburger
). Tolbert stayed with Mike Tirico
in a new three-man booth that also included newcomer George Karl
.
Also added to the ESPN line-up was Mike Breen
, who became the number three announcer behind Tirico and Nessler. Breen worked most of his games with Bill Walton
.
For the 2004 Eastern Conference Final, ESPN used Nessler along with ABC's lead analyst Doc Rivers
for every game of the series. Game 6 between Detroit
and Indiana
was the last NBA game Nessler has called to date.
Brad Nessler
was dropped from ESPN/ABC's NBA coverage altogether starting with the 2004-05 NBA season
. Mike Breen
was promoted to lead announcer for ESPN, continuing to work games with Bill Walton
(including the Pacers–Pistons brawl). Sean Elliott
was dropped, along with Dan Majerle
, Doc Rivers
(who had become coach of the Boston Celtics
) and George Karl
(who left during the season to coach the Denver Nuggets
). Jim Durham
's role increased and ESPN hired former NBC analyst Steve Jones
(Durham and Jones would work several regular season games together). ESPN did not use Jones and former cohort Bill Walton in games together during the regular season. Tom Tolbert
's role decreased significantly; he was reduced primarily to West Coast games.
In the playoffs, ESPN used the team of Mike Breen and Bill Walton for its coverage of the 2005 Western Conference Final. Al Michaels partnered with newly-added Hubie Brown
for the NBA Finals on ABC.
ESPN's announcing teams remained stable in the 2005-06 NBA season
. Mike Breen
and Bill Walton
worked games together during the first half of the season; after Breen was promoted to lead broadcaster for ABC
(due to Al Michaels
defecting to NBC
), Mike Tirico
became the number two broadcaster and worked several games with Walton (and later, Steve Jones
). During the 2006 NBA Playoffs
, Breen worked games with ABC partner Hubie Brown
, including the 2006 Eastern Conference Final.
For the 2006-07 NBA season
, Hubie Brown moved to ESPN full time as the lead color commentator, paired with Mike Breen. Mike Tirico and Bill Walton remained as the number two team, with Steve Jones being replaced by newcomer Jon Barry
. Tom Tolbert remained in his reduced role, in a broadcast team with either Mark Jones or ESPN WNBA play-by-play man Dave Pasch
. John Saunders, with former NBA Shootaround
colleagues Greg Anthony
and Tim Legler
worked Sunday night games televised by ESPN, as they had in the previous season. Fred Hickman
became the primary studio host, working with a rotating team of analysts. Additions included Jamal Mashburn
and Allan Houston
.
ESPN increased its amount of female analysts, adding current WNBA players Becky Hammon
and Kara Lawson
as sideline reporters. Swin Cash
, of the Detroit Shock
, was added as a studio analyst, debuting on NBA Shootaround early in the season. Doris Burke
continued as a sideline reporter, while Lisa Salters
(who had added Saturday Night Football to her duties) cut down on working NBA Friday games. On January 12, 2007, Kara Lawson was the analyst alongside play-by-play man Mark Jones for ESPN's Washington Wizards
-New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets
game. During this season, ABC's coverage of the NBA was fully integrated in ESPN.
In the 2007-08 season, Jeff Van Gundy
joined ESPN's coverage, pairing with Mike Breen on the lead broadcast team. Mike Tirico and Hubie Brown, who worked ABC games together last season, formed the number two team, with Dan Shulman
replacing Tirico when he had Monday Night Football commitments. Bill Walton became ESPN's lead studio analyst, along with Stuart Scott and Stephen A. Smith. Mark Jones also hosted NBA Shootaround, and occasionally paired with Jon Barry as the third team, replacing Shulman. Tom Tolbert, who called the NBA Finals for ABC just 4 years earlier, was dropped, along with reporter Jim Gray. Rick Carlisle
and Jalen Rose
also were added, giving analysis on Sportscenter and occasionally appearing on NBA Shootaround. On December 31, 2007 analyst Kiki Vandeweghe left ESPN to pursue a role with the New Jersey Nets
is ESPN's main studio program, airing before each NBA Friday telecast. Shootaround and other in-game studio programs originally consisted of Kevin Frazier
and Tim Hardaway
on Fridays with Stuart Scott
replacing Frazier on Wednesdays. After horrible reviews for Hardaway, ESPN brought in Greg Anthony
to replace him on Friday nights. Frazier and Anthony became ESPN's main studio team and worked most of the playoffs. For the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals, ESPN used ABC's halftime team of Mike Tirico
and Sean Elliott
for all the games.
2003-04
was the first year of the longest-tenured ESPN studio team. Frazier and Anthony were joined by controversial writer Stephen A. Smith
and NBA legend Bill Laimbeer
. Laimbeer, departing to continue coaching in the WNBA
, was replaced by Tim Legler
during the 2004 NBA Playoffs
. Smith, Legler and Anthony were joined by John Saunders (replacing Frazier, who left to host Entertainment Tonight
) from late 2004
to the end of the 2005-2006 season
.
ESPN's studio team was generally more criticized than praised. After the Pacers–Pistons brawl, ESPN's studio team came under severe criticism, both by the media and by ESPN itself for their stance regarding the actions of Indiana Pacer
Ron Artest
(who entered the stands to confront a fan, sparking the melee). Saunders came down hard on Detroit fans, referring to them as "punks," while Anthony and Legler defended Artest.
For the 2006-07 NBA season
, Saunders was replaced by Fred Hickman
, with the remaining team left intact. Previous reports by The Big Lead.com and The New York Post indicated that Anthony, Legler and Smith along with Saunders would be replaced by Dan Patrick
, Michael Wilbon
and Mark Jackson
. Smith's role was significantly reduced, as he would no longer appear in studio with Hickman, Legler and Anthony, instead appearing during "The A List", a segment during the pregame show.
Currently the program is hosted by either Hannah Storm
, Stuart Scott
or Mark Jones
, alongside analysts Chris Mullin
, Jalen Rose
, Jamal Mashburn
, Jon Barry
and Michael Wilbon
.
The program was also moved from ABC-owned studios at Times Square
in New York City
to ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut
.
and Detroit Pistons
. The game scored a 5.5 cable Nielsen rating, with nearly five million viewers. To put that in context, Monday Night Football
on ESPN posted ratings of 9+ in two of its first three telecasts. ESPN's highest rated regular season contest was the first matchup between Shaquille O'Neal
and Yao Ming
. The game between the Los Angeles Lakers
and Houston Rockets
scored a 3.82 cable Nielsen rating.
Generally, ESPN's regular season ratings are the same as competitor TNT's. During the playoffs, TNT has higher ratings, especially during the Conference Finals (from 2003 to 2005, TNT's Conference Final ratings were at least a full ratings point higher than ESPN's: 4.6 to 2.8 in 2003, 6.3 to 3.8 in 2004 and 5.0 to 4.0 in 2005). In 2006, for the first time ever, ESPN's Conference Final coverage averaged higher ratings than TNT's, averaging a 4.8 to TNT's 4.6.
to 2006
, typically in January, when prime time golf tournaments
preempted coverage on ESPN. On several occasions, ESPN2 would air the first game of a doubleheader, while ESPN air the second game. Starting with the 2006-2007 season
, regular season games on ESPN2 were discontinued. During the playoffs, ESPN2 airs games that otherwise would not have appeared on any outlet other than NBA TV
, mostly on Friday nights and only during the first round.
ESPN2 NBA coverage is mostly made up of studio shows, notably NBA Coast to Coast
. NBA Coast to Coast, formerly known as NBA Fastbreak Tuesday and NBA Nation, is a two-hour long Tuesday night studio show that features live cut-ins to games throughout the league. In addition to Coast to Coast, ESPN2 airs several editions of NBA Fastbreak
, ESPN's NBA oriented highlight show.
Despite airing fewer than forty NBA games in its eleven years of existence, ESPN2 did televise NBA legend Michael Jordan
's final game in Chicago
in January of 2003
.
ESPN2 is the primary outlet for ESPN WNBA coverage
, televising regular season games, the WNBA Finals
and the WNBA Draft
. WNBA Shootaround, the WNBA equivalent of the ESPN NBA pregame show, airs sporadically on the network, typically before presentations of WNBA Tuesday.
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) games on the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
family of networks. The ESPN cable network first televised NBA games from 1983 to 1984, and has been airing games currently since the 2002–03 NBA season. ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
began airing a limited schedule of NBA games in 2002. ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
began televising NBA games in 2006 (ABC Sports aired NBA games under the title of the NBA on ABC from 2002 to 2006).
ABC
ESPN on ABCESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
is the broadcast home of the NBA. ABC airs games on Christmas Day and under the title of NBA Sunday Showcase, Sunday afternoons from January through the end of the season, continuing to air games throughout the early rounds of the NBA Playoffs
NBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
, culminating with exclusive coverage of the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
.
Overview
NBA Wednesday
NBA Wednesday is a weekly presentation of the National Basketball Association on ESPN. Debuting in 2002, NBA Wednesday starts the first Wednesday of the NBA season and runs throughout the entire season. Games typically air at 9:00 p.m EST, following an ESPN's presentation of ACC Wednesday college...
, Fridays
NBA Friday Coast to Coast
NBA Friday is a weekly presentation of National Basketball Association games on ESPN. Formerly known as NBA Friday Coast to Coast during doubleheader nights, the program starts the first Friday of the NBA season, and typically runs uninterrupted throughout the entire season...
and Sundays. Most NBA games on the ESPN cable network air on Fridays at 8:00 p.m ET
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
and 7:30 p.m PT as part of "Coast to Coast" doubleheaders. Games on Wednesdays are mostly single games, televised at 9:00 p.m ET (usually following an ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
college basketball game). In addition to games on ABC, several Sundays throughout the season also feature ESPN televised games, usually during the evening.
ESPN's presentation of games is referred to as NBA (name of day) (i.e., NBA Wednesday, NBA Friday and NBA Sunday). Games on holidays or days when ESPN does not usually air games (Tuesdays, Saturdays, etc.) are branded as NBA Special Edition. The telecast also was formerly known as ESPNBA. Only the Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and Special Edition games are not exclusive, in which local sports networks may still air the game in their home market. Likewise the first round playoff coverage is not exclusive.
As part of the NBA's cable-heavy TV deal, ESPN airs one Conference Final
NBA Conference Finals
The National Basketball Association Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Championship series of the National Basketball Association , a major professional basketball league in North America. The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America...
per year (the Eastern Conference Final in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008
2007-08 NBA season
The 2007–08 NBA season was the 62nd season of the National Basketball Association. The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, and ended on Wednesday, April 16, 2008...
and 2010, and the Western Conference Final in 2005, 2007,2009, and 2011). Most Conference Final games are televised on ESPN itself, with usually Game 4 and Game 7 set aside for ABC. Outside of the Conference Finals, ESPN airs playoff games only on Fridays and Saturdays (with competitor TNT airing the majority of games on the other nights of the week).
ESPN airs the NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
each season, as well as the NBA Draft Lottery
NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA Draft Lottery is an annual event held by the National Basketball Association in which the teams who had missed the playoffs in the previous season, or teams who hold the draft rights of another team that missed the playoffs in the previous season, participate in a lottery process to...
(with the exception of 2003
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....
, when ABC aired the Draft Lottery prior to a Conference Final game on the network).
For the 2006–07 NBA season, ESPN used ABC's theme music from the previous two years, marking the second time that the network took its corporate sibling's NBA theme. Also, NBA games used graphics that had previously been only used on ESPN's coverage of Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
. Because of the move from ABC Sports to ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
, ESPN's graphics, music and complete presentation are used on games televised on ABC. The graphic change to the MNF like graphics was one of the few graphic changes ESPN made for 2006-07. ESPN also changed its general color scheme from red, white, and blue, to black and gold. In the 2008 NBA Playoffs, the banner was slightly edited. There is now a black and gold border around the banner, to better flow with the graphics package. When info and stats slide up from the banner, the gold border is visible as well. Also, the team logos were in smaller, glossy parallelograms in their respective color backgrounds. With a new graphics package debuting on MNF in the 2008-09 season http://espnmediazone.com/press_releases/2008_09_sep/20080905_MNFProductionTechnology.htm, the same graphics were introduced in the April 8, 2009 telecast of the NBA on ESPN. On March 14, 2010, the new "MNF"-like graphics debuted on the NBA on ABC Sunday presentation between the Celtics and Cavaliers. The graphics also debuted on Monday's telecast of NBA on ESPN. Prior to the 2010-11 season, they added the timeout count on the in-game graphics, adopted from ESPN College Football
ESPN College Football
ESPN College Football is the branding used for broadcasts of NCAA Division I FBS college football across ESPN properties, including ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPN Classic, ESPNU, and ESPN Radio...
. Beginning with the 2011 NBA Playoffs
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
, an updated composition of ESPN's theme 'Fast Break' was played, along with new in-game presentations. The score banner and other graphics remained the same.
The game between the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
on December 17, 2010, was the first NBA game ever aired on 3D
3D television
A 3D television is a television set that employs techniques of 3D presentation, such as stereoscopic capture, multi-view capture, or 2D-plus-depth, and a 3D display – a special viewing device to project a television program into a realistic three-dimensional field.- History :In the late-1890's,...
, courtesy of ESPN 3D
ESPN 3D
ESPN 3D is a television network part of the ESPN family of networks that launched June 11, 2010. The network broadcasts in the 3D television format. The channel simulcasts live games from ESPN on a semi-regular basis. It began broadcasting 24 hours a day on February 14, 2011...
. The network plans to air 14 NBA regular season games, as well as select playoff games, in 3D.
1982–84
Greg GumbelGreg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network...
and John Andariese
John Andariese
John Andariese is a color commentator for the New York Knicks and NBA TV and a former college basketball player. He also hosts NBA Legends with Johnny Hoops on NBA TV.-Playing career:...
were some of the voices of the original telecasts of The NBA on ESPN, which lasted only two seasons. Tom Mees
Tom Mees
Thomas E. Mees at Southington, Connecticut, was an American sports broadcaster specializing in ice hockey.-Early life and career:...
was among the studio hosts. During a commercial break of a game at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, the announcers (Greg Gumbel and Chris Berman) danced to the song "Little Darling" that was played on the public address system of the arena. That blooper reel is still often played when ESPN celebrates a milestone.
Other announcers during this period included:
- Irv BrownIrv BrownDenver, Colorado native sports broadcaster Irv Brown has been called "Denver's go-to guy" for sports talk or sports action commentary.Brown earned seven letters at North High School, where he starred in football, basketball and baseball. He played basketball and baseball at the University of...
(game analyst) - Ken CharlesKen CharlesKenneth "Ken" M. Charles is a retired Trinidadian and Tobagonian basketball player who played guard for the Buffalo Braves and Atlanta Hawks...
(game analyst) - John Clark (game analyst)
- Pete Liebengood (play-by-play)
- Sam Smith (play-by-play)
- Jim SimpsonJim Simpson (sportscaster)Jim Simpson is a retired American sportscaster, known for his smooth delivery as a play-by-play man and his versatility in covering many different sports. In 1997, he won the Sports Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2000 he was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters...
(play-by-play) - Roger TwibellRoger TwibellRoger Twibell is currently a sportscaster for the CBS College Sports Network. Twibell most often commentates on football and basketball events. Prior to working at CBS College Sports, he worked at ABC, ESPN, and the Big Ten Network...
(play-by-play) - Dick VitaleDick VitaleRichard J. "Dick" Vitale , also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well-known as a college basketball broadcaster and for the enthusiastic and colorful remarks he makes during games. He is known for his...
(game analyst) - Fred WhiteFred White (sportscaster)Fred White is a former American sportscaster.He previously called Kansas City Royals games for 25 years, from 1973 to 1998. In addition, he was the voice of the Kansas State Wildcats for many years, as well as being the sports anchor at WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas...
(play-by-play) - Geoff Witcher (play-by-play)
- Ron Zappolo (play-by-play)
2002–03
- Brad Nessler/Bill Walton/Michelle Tafoya
- Mike Tirico/Tom Tolbert/David Aldridge
- John Saunders/Sean Elliott/Sal Maskeleka
Originally, ESPN (and ABC's) lead broadcast team was Brad Nessler
Brad Nessler
Bradley "Brad" Nessler is an American sportscaster, who currently calls college basketball and college football games for ESPN with occasional appearances on ESPN on ABC. He will also call Thursday Night Football on NFL Network beginning in 2011, and appears annually as a commentator in EA Sports'...
and Bill Walton
Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
. Nessler and Walton (eventually joined by Tom Tolbert
Tom Tolbert
Byron Thomas "Tom" Tolbert is an American retired professional basketball player and sports broadcaster. He played a total of seven seasons in the National Basketball Association...
on ABC) worked NBA Wednesday games most weeks during the 2002-03 season
2002-03 NBA season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
. For NBA Friday, Mike Tirico
Mike Tirico
Michael Todd Tirico is an announcer for ESPN's presentation of Monday Night Football, and second lead broadcaster for ESPN's presentation of the NBA. In addition, Tirico hosts a multitude of programming on ESPN/ABC. He was the host of ABC's golf coverage from 1996 to 2007, and continues in that...
and Tom Tolbert
Tom Tolbert
Byron Thomas "Tom" Tolbert is an American retired professional basketball player and sports broadcaster. He played a total of seven seasons in the National Basketball Association...
worked late night West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
games while John Saunders and Sean Elliott
Sean Elliott
Sean Michael Elliott is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.-Early life:Elliott was born in Tucson, Arizona and was youngest of three boys. He was a very intelligent boy growing up and attended the G.A.T.E. program at Toleson Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona...
did the early games. For the playoffs, ESPN added Jim Durham
Jim Durham
Jim Durham is an American sportscaster.Since 1995, he has called numerous National Basketball Association games for ESPN and ESPN Radio. Durham has spent more than 32 years calling NBA games on TV and radio; his previous assignments were with the Chicago Bulls, the Dallas Mavericks, TNT and TBS...
to its list of television play-by-play voices and used the ABC main team of Nessler, Walton and Tolbert for its coverage of the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals.
2003–04
- Brad Nessler/Sean Elliott/Dan Majerle/Michelle Tafoya
- Mike Tirico/Tom Tolbert/Gearge Karl/David Aldridge
- Mike Breen or Jim Durham or Brent Musburger/Bill Walton/Sal Maskeleka
After low ratings on ABC and for the Conference Finals, ESPN reshuffled its announcing group. With the addition of Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
to the ABC NBA line-up, ESPN dissolved the Nessler-Tolbert-Walton team, keeping Nessler as the main announcer but pairing him with Sean Elliott
Sean Elliott
Sean Michael Elliott is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.-Early life:Elliott was born in Tucson, Arizona and was youngest of three boys. He was a very intelligent boy growing up and attended the G.A.T.E. program at Toleson Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona...
and Dan Majerle
Dan Majerle
Daniel Lewis Majerle is a retired American professional basketball player and currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA. Known by his fans as "Downtown Dan," "Thunder Dan," and "Dan the Man," he played 14 years in the NBA, primarily with the Phoenix Suns, also with the Miami...
. Walton was demoted significantly, working games sporadically (including most of the ESPN NBA Sunday games with either Jim Durham
Jim Durham
Jim Durham is an American sportscaster.Since 1995, he has called numerous National Basketball Association games for ESPN and ESPN Radio. Durham has spent more than 32 years calling NBA games on TV and radio; his previous assignments were with the Chicago Bulls, the Dallas Mavericks, TNT and TBS...
or Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
). Tolbert stayed with Mike Tirico
Mike Tirico
Michael Todd Tirico is an announcer for ESPN's presentation of Monday Night Football, and second lead broadcaster for ESPN's presentation of the NBA. In addition, Tirico hosts a multitude of programming on ESPN/ABC. He was the host of ABC's golf coverage from 1996 to 2007, and continues in that...
in a new three-man booth that also included newcomer George Karl
George Karl
George Matthew Karl is a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player. He is the current head coach of the Denver Nuggets. On December 10, 2010 he became the seventh coach in NBA history to record 1,000 wins.-Biography:Karl was born in Penn Hills,...
.
Also added to the ESPN line-up was Mike Breen
Mike Breen
Michael "Mike" Breen is a play-by-play commentator for the NBA on ABC and the lead commentator for New York Knicks games on the MSG network...
, who became the number three announcer behind Tirico and Nessler. Breen worked most of his games with Bill Walton
Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
.
For the 2004 Eastern Conference Final, ESPN used Nessler along with ABC's lead analyst Doc Rivers
Doc Rivers
Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers is a former professional basketball player and the current head coach of the NBA's Boston Celtics. Rivers was known for his defense while playing in the NBA...
for every game of the series. Game 6 between Detroit
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
and Indiana
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
was the last NBA game Nessler has called to date.
2004–05
- Mike Breen/Bill Walton or Len Elmore/Jim Gray
- Jim Durham/Steve Jones or Dr.Jack Ramsey/Lisa Salters
- Mike Tirico/Tom Tolbert/Dana Jacobson
- Brent Musburger/Greg Anthony/Jim Gray(Sunday Nights)
Brad Nessler
Brad Nessler
Bradley "Brad" Nessler is an American sportscaster, who currently calls college basketball and college football games for ESPN with occasional appearances on ESPN on ABC. He will also call Thursday Night Football on NFL Network beginning in 2011, and appears annually as a commentator in EA Sports'...
was dropped from ESPN/ABC's NBA coverage altogether starting with the 2004-05 NBA season
2004-05 NBA season
The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association . It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating defending champion Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the NBA Finals....
. Mike Breen
Mike Breen
Michael "Mike" Breen is a play-by-play commentator for the NBA on ABC and the lead commentator for New York Knicks games on the MSG network...
was promoted to lead announcer for ESPN, continuing to work games with Bill Walton
Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
(including the Pacers–Pistons brawl). Sean Elliott
Sean Elliott
Sean Michael Elliott is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.-Early life:Elliott was born in Tucson, Arizona and was youngest of three boys. He was a very intelligent boy growing up and attended the G.A.T.E. program at Toleson Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona...
was dropped, along with Dan Majerle
Dan Majerle
Daniel Lewis Majerle is a retired American professional basketball player and currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA. Known by his fans as "Downtown Dan," "Thunder Dan," and "Dan the Man," he played 14 years in the NBA, primarily with the Phoenix Suns, also with the Miami...
, Doc Rivers
Doc Rivers
Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers is a former professional basketball player and the current head coach of the NBA's Boston Celtics. Rivers was known for his defense while playing in the NBA...
(who had become coach of the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
) and George Karl
George Karl
George Matthew Karl is a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player. He is the current head coach of the Denver Nuggets. On December 10, 2010 he became the seventh coach in NBA history to record 1,000 wins.-Biography:Karl was born in Penn Hills,...
(who left during the season to coach the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
). Jim Durham
Jim Durham
Jim Durham is an American sportscaster.Since 1995, he has called numerous National Basketball Association games for ESPN and ESPN Radio. Durham has spent more than 32 years calling NBA games on TV and radio; his previous assignments were with the Chicago Bulls, the Dallas Mavericks, TNT and TBS...
's role increased and ESPN hired former NBC analyst Steve Jones
Steve Jones (basketball)
Stephen Howard "Snapper" Jones is one of the most esteemed and watched National Basketball Association television analysts.-Basketball career:...
(Durham and Jones would work several regular season games together). ESPN did not use Jones and former cohort Bill Walton in games together during the regular season. Tom Tolbert
Tom Tolbert
Byron Thomas "Tom" Tolbert is an American retired professional basketball player and sports broadcaster. He played a total of seven seasons in the National Basketball Association...
's role decreased significantly; he was reduced primarily to West Coast games.
In the playoffs, ESPN used the team of Mike Breen and Bill Walton for its coverage of the 2005 Western Conference Final. Al Michaels partnered with newly-added Hubie Brown
Hubie Brown
Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years...
for the NBA Finals on ABC.
2005–06
- Mike Tirico or Brent Musburger/Bill Walton/Mark Jones
- Jim Durham or Mike Tirico/Steve Jones/Jim Gray
- Brent Musburger/Tom Tolbert/Jim Gray
ESPN's announcing teams remained stable in the 2005-06 NBA season
2005-06 NBA season
The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006...
. Mike Breen
Mike Breen
Michael "Mike" Breen is a play-by-play commentator for the NBA on ABC and the lead commentator for New York Knicks games on the MSG network...
and Bill Walton
Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
worked games together during the first half of the season; after Breen was promoted to lead broadcaster for ABC
The NBA on ABC
ABC's coverage of the NBA on ESPN, known as NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC since 2010, is a weekly presentation of National Basketball Association games on ABC television network in the United States, replacing the NBA on NBC. NBA Sunday typically airs on afternoons at 1:00 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. ET...
(due to Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
defecting to NBC
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
), Mike Tirico
Mike Tirico
Michael Todd Tirico is an announcer for ESPN's presentation of Monday Night Football, and second lead broadcaster for ESPN's presentation of the NBA. In addition, Tirico hosts a multitude of programming on ESPN/ABC. He was the host of ABC's golf coverage from 1996 to 2007, and continues in that...
became the number two broadcaster and worked several games with Walton (and later, Steve Jones
Steve Jones (basketball)
Stephen Howard "Snapper" Jones is one of the most esteemed and watched National Basketball Association television analysts.-Basketball career:...
). During the 2006 NBA Playoffs
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
, Breen worked games with ABC partner Hubie Brown
Hubie Brown
Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years...
, including the 2006 Eastern Conference Final.
2006–07
- Mike Breen/Hubie Brown/Lisa Salters
- Mike Tirico/Bill Walton/Jon Barry/Jim Gray
- Mark Jones or Dave Pasch/Tom Tolbert/Kara Lawson
- John Saunders/Greg Anthony/Tim Legler/Jim Gray (Sunday nights)
2006-07 NBA season
The 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 31, 2006 and ran through April 18, 2007. The league fielded 30 teams, each playing an 82 game regular season schedule. The top eight seeds from each conference reached the NBA...
, Hubie Brown moved to ESPN full time as the lead color commentator, paired with Mike Breen. Mike Tirico and Bill Walton remained as the number two team, with Steve Jones being replaced by newcomer Jon Barry
Jon Barry
Jon Alan Barry is an American former basketball player and current television analyst for ABC and ESPN.-Biography:Barry is the son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry, and has three brothers: Scooter, Drew, and Brent, all of whom are also basketball players. Jon played his high school basketball at De La...
. Tom Tolbert remained in his reduced role, in a broadcast team with either Mark Jones or ESPN WNBA play-by-play man Dave Pasch
Dave Pasch
Dave Pasch is an American sportscaster. Pasch works for ESPN, for which he calls play-by-play of college football, college basketball, NBA, WNBA, and Arena football games. He has also been the radio voice for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL since 2002, teaming with Ron Wolfley. In 2007, Pasch...
. John Saunders, with former NBA Shootaround
NBA Shootaround
NBA Shootaround is a pregame show for ESPN's coverage of the National Basketball Association . Typically, the program airs at 7:30 p.m, prior to ESPN's presentation of NBA Friday, though it does occasionally air prior to ESPN's NBA Wednesday coverage...
colleagues Greg Anthony
Greg Anthony
Gregory Carlton Anthony is an American former National Basketball Association basketball player and former personality on the ESPN family of networks. He is currently an analyst for CBS's college basketball coverage...
and Tim Legler
Tim Legler
Timothy Eugene Legler is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA. He is currently an ESPN basketball analyst.-La Salle:...
worked Sunday night games televised by ESPN, as they had in the previous season. Fred Hickman
Fred Hickman
Fred Hickman is an American sports broadcaster who has had stints with CNN, TBS, YES Network, and ESPN. Born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, he graduated Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1978, joining as an original co-host of the CNN show Sports Tonight in 1980...
became the primary studio host, working with a rotating team of analysts. Additions included Jamal Mashburn
Jamal Mashburn
Jamal Mashburn is a retired American professional basketball player. A small forward, Mashburn was a prolific scorer in his 12 seasons in the league, with a career scoring average of 19.1 points per game...
and Allan Houston
Allan Houston
Allan Wade Houston is a retired American professional basketball player for the NBA, and currently the Assistant General Manager for the New York Knicks. He was one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA until a knee injury forced him to retire...
.
ESPN increased its amount of female analysts, adding current WNBA players Becky Hammon
Becky Hammon
Rebecca Lynn "Becky" Hammon is a professional basketball player currently under contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars of the WNBA.-Early life:...
and Kara Lawson
Kara Lawson
-External links:**...
as sideline reporters. Swin Cash
Swin Cash
Swintayla Marie Cash , better known as Swin Cash, is an American WNBA player who plays for the Seattle Storm. A prolific scorer and rebounder, as well as a capable ball handler and defender, she helped lead the University of Connecticut women's basketball team to national titles in 2000 and 2002...
, of the Detroit Shock
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...
, was added as a studio analyst, debuting on NBA Shootaround early in the season. Doris Burke
Doris Burke
Doris Burke is a sideline reporter and color analyst for ESPN college basketball, as well as NBA on ESPN and NBA on ABC games. Burke handles both men's and women's basketball at the college and pro level. She is primarily an analyst on Big East games for men's college basketball, often teaming...
continued as a sideline reporter, while Lisa Salters
Lisa Salters
Alisia Salters is a journalist and former collegiate women's basketball player. She has been a reporter for ESPN and ESPN on ABC since 2000. Previously, she covered the O.J. Simpson murder case for ABC and worked at WBAL-TV in Baltimore, Maryland....
(who had added Saturday Night Football to her duties) cut down on working NBA Friday games. On January 12, 2007, Kara Lawson was the analyst alongside play-by-play man Mark Jones for ESPN's Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
-New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets
New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets
The New Orleans Hornets are a professional basketball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They play in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association. The franchise began play during the 1988–89 NBA season as the Charlotte Hornets, based in Charlotte,...
game. During this season, ABC's coverage of the NBA was fully integrated in ESPN.
2007–08
- Mike Breen/Mark Jackson/Jeff Van Gundy/Michelle Tafoya
- Mike Tirico/Hubie Brown/Lisa Salters
- Dan Shulman or Mark Jones/Jon Barry
- Dave Pasch/Rick Carlisle/Ric Bucher
- Dave Pasch/Doris Burke/Heather Cox
In the 2007-08 season, Jeff Van Gundy
Jeff Van Gundy
Jeffrey William "Jeff" Van Gundy is a former American basketball head coach. He coached most recently with the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets...
joined ESPN's coverage, pairing with Mike Breen on the lead broadcast team. Mike Tirico and Hubie Brown, who worked ABC games together last season, formed the number two team, with Dan Shulman
Dan Shulman
Daniel "Dan" Shulman is a Canadian sportscaster, currently employed with the American network ESPN as well as Canadian network TSN....
replacing Tirico when he had Monday Night Football commitments. Bill Walton became ESPN's lead studio analyst, along with Stuart Scott and Stephen A. Smith. Mark Jones also hosted NBA Shootaround, and occasionally paired with Jon Barry as the third team, replacing Shulman. Tom Tolbert, who called the NBA Finals for ABC just 4 years earlier, was dropped, along with reporter Jim Gray. Rick Carlisle
Rick Carlisle
Richard Preston Carlisle is the head coach of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. He has also coached the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, and was previously a player in the NBA. He is also one of the only 11 people to win an NBA championship both as a player and as a coach.-Playing career:Carlisle...
and Jalen Rose
Jalen Rose
Jalen Anthony Rose is a retired American professional basketball player, who currently works as a sports analyst for the sports television network ESPN...
also were added, giving analysis on Sportscenter and occasionally appearing on NBA Shootaround. On December 31, 2007 analyst Kiki Vandeweghe left ESPN to pursue a role with the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
NBA Shootaround
NBA ShootaroundNBA Shootaround
NBA Shootaround is a pregame show for ESPN's coverage of the National Basketball Association . Typically, the program airs at 7:30 p.m, prior to ESPN's presentation of NBA Friday, though it does occasionally air prior to ESPN's NBA Wednesday coverage...
is ESPN's main studio program, airing before each NBA Friday telecast. Shootaround and other in-game studio programs originally consisted of Kevin Frazier
Kevin Frazier
Kevin Timothy Frazier is currently host of The Insider. Formerly, Frazier worked as an anchor at Fox Sports Net, later ESPN, where he hosted SportsCenter as well as a multitude of NBA themed programming and from 2004–2011, was a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight as well as...
and Tim Hardaway
Tim Hardaway
Timothy Duane "Tim" Hardaway is a retired American basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association and who in his prime was one of the league's best point guards...
on Fridays with Stuart Scott
Stuart Scott
Stuart Scott is a sportscaster and anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter.-Early life and career:Scott attended Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and went to college at the University of North Carolina. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity...
replacing Frazier on Wednesdays. After horrible reviews for Hardaway, ESPN brought in Greg Anthony
Greg Anthony
Gregory Carlton Anthony is an American former National Basketball Association basketball player and former personality on the ESPN family of networks. He is currently an analyst for CBS's college basketball coverage...
to replace him on Friday nights. Frazier and Anthony became ESPN's main studio team and worked most of the playoffs. For the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals, ESPN used ABC's halftime team of Mike Tirico
Mike Tirico
Michael Todd Tirico is an announcer for ESPN's presentation of Monday Night Football, and second lead broadcaster for ESPN's presentation of the NBA. In addition, Tirico hosts a multitude of programming on ESPN/ABC. He was the host of ABC's golf coverage from 1996 to 2007, and continues in that...
and Sean Elliott
Sean Elliott
Sean Michael Elliott is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.-Early life:Elliott was born in Tucson, Arizona and was youngest of three boys. He was a very intelligent boy growing up and attended the G.A.T.E. program at Toleson Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona...
for all the games.
2003-04
2003-04 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers...
was the first year of the longest-tenured ESPN studio team. Frazier and Anthony were joined by controversial writer Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith
-Early years:Smith was raised in the Hollis neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. He lived with his parents and four older sisters.He attended Winston-Salem State University, a historically black university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
and NBA legend Bill Laimbeer
Bill Laimbeer
William "Bill" Laimbeer, Jr. is a retired National Basketball Association player for the Detroit Pistons. Playing at center, the 6'11" Laimbeer was a four-time All-Star and integral part of the Pistons teams that won two championships...
. Laimbeer, departing to continue coaching in the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
, was replaced by Tim Legler
Tim Legler
Timothy Eugene Legler is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA. He is currently an ESPN basketball analyst.-La Salle:...
during the 2004 NBA Playoffs
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...
. Smith, Legler and Anthony were joined by John Saunders (replacing Frazier, who left to host Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
) from late 2004
2004-05 NBA season
The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association . It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating defending champion Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the NBA Finals....
to the end of the 2005-2006 season
2005-06 NBA season
The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006...
.
ESPN's studio team was generally more criticized than praised. After the Pacers–Pistons brawl, ESPN's studio team came under severe criticism, both by the media and by ESPN itself for their stance regarding the actions of Indiana Pacer
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
Ron Artest
Ron Artest
Metta World Peace is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004...
(who entered the stands to confront a fan, sparking the melee). Saunders came down hard on Detroit fans, referring to them as "punks," while Anthony and Legler defended Artest.
For the 2006-07 NBA season
2006-07 NBA season
The 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 31, 2006 and ran through April 18, 2007. The league fielded 30 teams, each playing an 82 game regular season schedule. The top eight seeds from each conference reached the NBA...
, Saunders was replaced by Fred Hickman
Fred Hickman
Fred Hickman is an American sports broadcaster who has had stints with CNN, TBS, YES Network, and ESPN. Born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, he graduated Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1978, joining as an original co-host of the CNN show Sports Tonight in 1980...
, with the remaining team left intact. Previous reports by The Big Lead.com and The New York Post indicated that Anthony, Legler and Smith along with Saunders would be replaced by Dan Patrick
Dan Patrick
Daniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
, Michael Wilbon
Michael Wilbon
Michael Ray Wilbon is a former sportswriter and columnist for the Washington Post and current ESPN commentator. He serves as an analyst for ESPN and co-hosts Pardon the Interruption on ESPN with former Post writer Tony Kornheiser, and has been doing so since 2001.-Career:Wilbon began working for...
and Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson (basketball)
Mark A. Jackson is a retired American professional basketball player and the current head coach of the Golden State Warriors. He played point guard for the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets in the NBA in a career...
. Smith's role was significantly reduced, as he would no longer appear in studio with Hickman, Legler and Anthony, instead appearing during "The A List", a segment during the pregame show.
Currently the program is hosted by either Hannah Storm
Hannah Storm
Hannah Storm is an American television sports journalist, serving as co-anchor of ESPN's SportsCenter Monday–Thursday mornings, and is also host of the NBA Countdown pregame show on ABC as part of the network's NBA Sunday game coverage.-Early life and career:Storm was born in Oak Park, Illinois,...
, Stuart Scott
Stuart Scott
Stuart Scott is a sportscaster and anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter.-Early life and career:Scott attended Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and went to college at the University of North Carolina. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity...
or Mark Jones
Mark Jones (broadcaster)
Mark Jones is a sportscaster for ESPN and ABC. Jones has been with ESPN/ABC since 1990. Prior to that, Jones worked for TSN in his native Canada. He primarily covers college football and NBA games for ESPN and ESPN on ABC....
, alongside analysts Chris Mullin
Chris Mullin (basketball)
Christopher Paul Mullin is a retired American basketball player and former general manager of the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He has also been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame....
, Jalen Rose
Jalen Rose
Jalen Anthony Rose is a retired American professional basketball player, who currently works as a sports analyst for the sports television network ESPN...
, Jamal Mashburn
Jamal Mashburn
Jamal Mashburn is a retired American professional basketball player. A small forward, Mashburn was a prolific scorer in his 12 seasons in the league, with a career scoring average of 19.1 points per game...
, Jon Barry
Jon Barry
Jon Alan Barry is an American former basketball player and current television analyst for ABC and ESPN.-Biography:Barry is the son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry, and has three brothers: Scooter, Drew, and Brent, all of whom are also basketball players. Jon played his high school basketball at De La...
and Michael Wilbon
Michael Wilbon
Michael Ray Wilbon is a former sportswriter and columnist for the Washington Post and current ESPN commentator. He serves as an analyst for ESPN and co-hosts Pardon the Interruption on ESPN with former Post writer Tony Kornheiser, and has been doing so since 2001.-Career:Wilbon began working for...
.
The program was also moved from ABC-owned studios at Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut
Bristol, Connecticut
Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 61,353. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, whose central studios are in the city. Bristol is also home to...
.
Ratings
ESPN's highest rated NBA game was Game 5 of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami HeatMiami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
and Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
. The game scored a 5.5 cable Nielsen rating, with nearly five million viewers. To put that in context, Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
on ESPN posted ratings of 9+ in two of its first three telecasts. ESPN's highest rated regular season contest was the first matchup between Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
and Yao Ming
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association...
. The game between the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
scored a 3.82 cable Nielsen rating.
Generally, ESPN's regular season ratings are the same as competitor TNT's. During the playoffs, TNT has higher ratings, especially during the Conference Finals (from 2003 to 2005, TNT's Conference Final ratings were at least a full ratings point higher than ESPN's: 4.6 to 2.8 in 2003, 6.3 to 3.8 in 2004 and 5.0 to 4.0 in 2005). In 2006, for the first time ever, ESPN's Conference Final coverage averaged higher ratings than TNT's, averaging a 4.8 to TNT's 4.6.
ESPN2
ESPN2 aired a handful of NBA regular season games from 20022002-03 NBA season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
to 2006
2005-06 NBA season
The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006...
, typically in January, when prime time golf tournaments
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
preempted coverage on ESPN. On several occasions, ESPN2 would air the first game of a doubleheader, while ESPN air the second game. Starting with the 2006-2007 season
2006-07 NBA season
The 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 31, 2006 and ran through April 18, 2007. The league fielded 30 teams, each playing an 82 game regular season schedule. The top eight seeds from each conference reached the NBA...
, regular season games on ESPN2 were discontinued. During the playoffs, ESPN2 airs games that otherwise would not have appeared on any outlet other than NBA TV
NBA TV
NBA TV is a television specialty channel that is dedicated to showcasing the sport of basketball in the United States. The network is financially backed by the National Basketball Association , which also uses NBA TV as a way of advertising their out of market package NBA League Pass, and partner...
, mostly on Friday nights and only during the first round.
ESPN2 NBA coverage is mostly made up of studio shows, notably NBA Coast to Coast
NBA Coast to Coast
NBA Coast to Coast is a weekly NBA-themed studio program which airs Tuesday nights on ESPN2. -Format:...
. NBA Coast to Coast, formerly known as NBA Fastbreak Tuesday and NBA Nation, is a two-hour long Tuesday night studio show that features live cut-ins to games throughout the league. In addition to Coast to Coast, ESPN2 airs several editions of NBA Fastbreak
NBA Fastbreak
NBA Fastbreak is a National Basketball Association studio program that airs on ESPN. The program used to air as part of ESPN's The Trifecta. Formerly known as NBA 2Night, the program, hosted by various ESPN personalities, provides highlights, analysis and updates from the night's NBA games...
, ESPN's NBA oriented highlight show.
Despite airing fewer than forty NBA games in its eleven years of existence, ESPN2 did televise NBA legend Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
's final game in Chicago
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
in January of 2003
January 2003
January 2003: ← – January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-Events:-January 1, 2003:...
.
ESPN2 is the primary outlet for ESPN WNBA coverage
The WNBA on ESPN2
The WNBA on ESPN refers to the presentation of Women's National Basketball Association games on the ESPN family of networks. Under the title of WNBA Tuesday, games are broadcast throughout the WNBA season on Tuesday nights on ESPN2....
, televising regular season games, the WNBA Finals
WNBA Finals
The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the sport's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002....
and the WNBA Draft
WNBA Draft
The WNBA Draft is an annual draft held by the WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. The first WNBA draft was held in 1997...
. WNBA Shootaround, the WNBA equivalent of the ESPN NBA pregame show, airs sporadically on the network, typically before presentations of WNBA Tuesday.