NBA TV, the destination for fans seeking the most expansive season-long coverage of the league, will showcase the NBA’s top teams and biggest stars with 106 live game telecasts, including the Players Only franchise expanding to the network for the first half of the 2017-18 season.
Players Only Presented by Verizon on NBA TV – with former NBA players filling all commentator roles – will air as the network’s signature weekly game of the week for 13 Tuesday nights – starting Tuesday, Oct. 24, with the Cleveland Cavaliers hosting the Chicago Bulls – as Dwyane Wade faces his former team – at 7 p.m. ET – before transitioning to TNT for the remainder of the regular season starting Tuesday, January 23.
Players Only coverage on NBA TV will include studio coverage anchored by Chris Webber with Isiah Thomas and Kevin McHale. Commentators for Players Only Marquee Game will include Greg Anthony (as primary host and play-by-play) and Steve Smith from Atlanta with on-site analyst Dennis Scott.
The innovative franchise – which debuted on TNT during the 2016-17 NBA season – will continue to incorporate a more conversational delivery and broader NBA player integrations into the telecasts to offer viewers an entertaining narrative and deeper insights into the game directly from the athlete’s perspective.
The network will tip off its regular-season coverage with a doubleheader starting with the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors visiting the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. ET. In the nightcap, the LA Clippers will host the Phoenix Suns at 10:30 p.m.
Early-season game highlights also include a doubleheader on Friday, Oct. 27, beginning with the Oklahoma City Thunder visiting the Minnesota Timberwolves at 8 p.m., followed by the Warriors hosting the Washington Wizards at 10:30 p.m. Click here for more details on NBA TV’s game schedule.
In addition to its live game slate, NBA TV will offer a wide range of original programs including
The Starters
Entering their fifth season on NBA TV, The Starters will air weekdays at 7 p.m. throughout the season. Co-hosted by J.E. Skeets and Tas Melas, along with Trey Kerby and Leigh Ellis, the daily 30-minute studio show highlights the most entertaining moments from around the NBA, looks ahead to the upcoming night’s top games and features a series of unconventional and lighthearted segments surrounding pop culture and basketball.
Get the Inside Stuff All Season Long
NBA Inside Stuff will make its season premiere Saturday, Oct. 21, on NBA TV at 6:30 p.m. with an all-new episode featuring co-hosts Grant Hill and Kristen Ledlow. The 30-minute magazine style show will include premiere episodes on Saturday evenings, giving fans an all-access pass to the 2017-18 NBA regular season and playoffs.
All the Latest News, Highlights and more with NBA GameTime
The network’s signature NBA GameTime studio show will provide highlights, news and analysis surrounding the leading storylines from around the NBA all season long. The nightly studio show will feature a deep rotation of top basketball analysts including Shaquille O’Neal, McHale, Webber, Kenny Smith, Thomas, Hill, Scott, Smith, Brent Barry, Mike Fratello, Anthony, Stu Jackson, Sam Mitchell and Brendan Haywood. Additional commentators will include David Aldridge, Casey Stern, Ledlow, Matt Winer, Sekou Smith, Rick Kamla, Ros Gold-Onwude, Jared Greenberg, Ro Parrish and Chris Miles.
10 Before Tip
Airing Monday-Friday at 6:30 p.m. throughout the season, NBA TV’s half-hour 10 Before Tip studio show offers news, notes and the latest updates for what fans need to know leading up to tip-off. Hosted by Greenberg, the show includes guests from around the league, including reporters, on-air personalities and fantasy experts. Regular guests include Aldridge, Ledlow, Sekou Smith, Howard Beck and Brian Geltzeiler.
NBA CrunchTime
NBA TV’s fast-paced “whiparound” coverage of live game action – NBA CrunchTime – returns for its third season. The hour-long studio show, primarily airing Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the season, will cover all of the excitement around the league with commentators guiding fans through all the down-to-the-wire buzzer beaters, game-winners and top moments of the night.
Monthly Shows
Regular original programming will also include Winer’s monthly, 30-minute magazine-style show, Beyond the Paint, O’Neal’s Shaqtin’ A Fool presented by Hotels.com – which recaps the NBA’s funniest on-court moments – and High Tops: Plays of the Month hosted by Parrish, which will highlight the top performances around the league on a monthly basis. The network will also showcase an NBA Game of the Day re-air.
About NBA TV
NBA TV is a part of NBA Digital, the NBA’s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointly-managed by the NBA and Turner Sports including NBA TV, NBA App, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBAGLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.
