This originally appeared in the March 9 edition of The A Block, Awful Announcing’s daily newsletter with the latest sports media news, commentary, and analysis. Sign up here and be the first to know everything you need to know about the sports media world.
Spring means basketball. And because we are in the first year of the NBA and WNBA’s latest broadcast rights packages, basketball will feel very different on television this spring.
Many of TNT Sports’ top talent have moved to new jobs, while NBC and Prime Video are putting their touch on the NBA, with the WNBA coming soon (if the league can resolve its labor tensions).
Networks are still getting settled with their new announcing rosters, but there’s not much more time to tinker. The NCAA tournaments start next week, and the stretch run of the NBA season is here.
If you’ve missed the musical chairs or want to know who to have an ear out for while you watch basketball the next couple of months, here are 9 names to track:
Steve Nash
Prime Video embraced an interesting strategy with its NBA commentators this season, with analysts alternating between the studio and the broadcast booth. While Nash has become a voice of authority in the studio and boasts strong name recognition, it is the booth where he shines.
Nash called last Thursday night’s game between the Lakers and Nuggets alongside Ian Eagle and Stan Van Gundy. He is a producer’s dream. Not only was he the point guard for the game-changing Seven Seconds Or Less Phoenix Suns in the 2000s, but he was also an NBA head coach as recently as 2022.
If any of the retired players are to rise to calling top games at Amazon (which will air a conference finals in alternating years under its NBA deal), it will likely be Nash or fellow Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade. But because Wade appears to have a smaller role for the streamer and has long balked at the idea of joining the media full-time, Nash is the safer bet. If Amazon wants to bolster its top booth ahead of the playoffs, it could hand the reins to Nash as early as next month.
Nate Burleson
The former NFL wide receiver has had a rollercoaster last few months at CBS under new Paramount Skydance ownership. Burleson lost two NFL Today teammates, J.J. Watt and Matt Ryan, and suddenly faced rumors that his job was in jeopardy on CBS Mornings.
Then, suddenly, Burleson got a major new opportunity in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and a vote of approval from CBS management for the morning show. Burleson will fill in as a studio anchor in the early rounds of the tourney before Ernie Johnson takes over for the Final Four. Already a crossover star, Burleson now gets a chance to cover a sport outside his own on the biggest stage.
Christine Williamson
Williamson did not have much of a runway in her new job before the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. As the new anchor of women’s basketball College GameDay and the tourney studio show, Williamson has big shoes to fill.
Elle Duncan earned high praise for her work in the role over the past several years. So far, Williamson has displayed a similar balance of authority and fun. Joined by returning analysts Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike, Williamson is in a position to succeed.
Austin Rivers
Rivers caught my attention recently for a video in which he announced he would no longer host his podcast in order to focus on broadcasting. The former Duke and NBA guard said he worried he would not earn the respect of industry figures if he let takes fly on his show.
Instead, Rivers has all his focus on calling games for NBC and Peacock. The streamer’s “On the Bench” crew has operated as its No. 2 booth this season, leaving Rivers and his more experienced partner Robbie Hummel in a prime position to call big games.
Michael Grady
In a unique setup, Grady calls NBA games for both NBC and Amazon. As the No. 3 for both networks, Grady may not work deep into the postseason. But he is one of the most talented basketball broadcasters working right now, with a deep base of knowledge and a keen sense of big moments.
Grady deserves to keep climbing the mountaintop and will get more playoff calls than ever before this season to show why.
Michael Malone
Malone just started calling games for ESPN the past few weeks, as the Worldwide Leader deals with the loss of suddenly important NBA game analyst Jay Bilas to the slog of March. Likely out of need more than anything, ESPN is turning to Malone for some big calls to close the regular season.
With all the in-season tournament games and lots of early-round playoff inventory, ESPN may need to lead on Malone as its No. 3 color commentator. He is a natural. The recent experience coaching great teams goes a long way, but the same honesty that made Malone great in press conferences is serving him well in the booth as well.
Chris Webber
After a remarkably quick rise at TNT the first go-round, becoming a top NBA game analyst by his early 40s, Webber is back on the college side. If he can lean into his connection from the Michigan years and avoid the frustrating generalities that plagued his first stint calling NBA games, Webber can be one of the standouts of the NCAA tournament.
Stephanie White
It remains incredible how strong White is as an analyst, given that she doubles as a top WNBA coach, now calling plays for Caitlin Clark in Indiana. But the former point guard-turned-head coach has dabbled with ESPN and the Big Ten Network for years, allowing her to develop chops as a broadcaster.
The result is (in addition to a slight conflict of interest) that NCAA women’s tournament viewers get White’s insights to go with at the best time of year. If she ever gets tired of coaching, White would be an incredible successor to Rebecca Lobo or Debbie Antonelli at the Worldwide Leader.
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