Overview
- Jordan appeared at halftime of Thunder–Rockets in a three-plus-minute taped conversation with Mike Tirico, saying he feels an obligation to “pay it forward” to the game.
- He recounted not picking up a basketball in years except for a nervous free throw at a Ryder Cup rental home, which he said he made.
- NBC revived John Tesh’s “Roundball Rock” and used AI to recreate late announcer Jim Fagan’s voice as it relaunched NBA coverage with a new on-air team.
- The network confirmed the ‘MJ: Insights to Excellence’ segments will be sprinkled across telecasts during the season, with more from the Tirico sit-down teased for next week.
- The NBA’s new 11-year rights cycle returned national windows to NBC/Peacock alongside ESPN/ABC and Amazon, while viewers reacted strongly online to Jordan’s debut despite some early audio hiccups.