NBA Saturday Primetime

Summary

NBA Saturday Primetime is the branding used for Saturday night broadcasts of National Basketball Association (NBA) games produced by ESPN and televised on its sister network American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Saturday Primetime games typically air on selected Saturdays from January to March or April of the regular season. As these games air in primetime, they usually feature marquee matchups of the league's most prominent teams.[1][2][3]

NBA Saturday Primetime
GenreNBA game telecasts
Presented byMike Breen
Doris Burke
JJ Redick
Lisa Salters
Mark Jones
Dave Pasch
Hubie Brown
Cassidy Hubbarth
Malika Andrews
Stephen A. Smith
Michael Wilbon
Bob Myers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes40
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time150+ minutes through post-game
Production companyESPN
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseJanuary 23, 2016 (2016-01-23) –
present
Related
NBA Sunday Showcase

While ABC has been the NBA's broadcast TV partner since 2002, the network's games had mostly aired on Sunday afternoons. In 2006, ABC Sports was absorbed by ESPN, and all sports telecasts on ABC since then air under the ESPN on ABC banner. The first Saturday primetime games on ABC then began in the 2015–16 season, serving as the network's mid-season replacement for Saturday Night Football telecasts following the completion of college football season.

Overview edit

Since its inception, the games had been called by Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson.[4]

In August 2023, ESPN announced that the new lead broadcast team of Breen, Doris Burke, and Doc Rivers would call NBA Saturday Primetime games starting with the 2023–24 season.[5] After Rivers became the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, ESPN's lead team now consists of Breen and Burke. In February, JJ Redick was added to the team.[6]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Cafardo, Ben (16 July 2015). "Saturday Night NBA on ABC Launching in January". ESPN MediaZone. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  2. ^ Cafardo, Ben (July 2015). "Saturday Night NBA on ABC launching in January". ESPN Front Row. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  3. ^ "ABC to debut Saturday night NBA coverage in January". NBA. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  4. ^ Cafardo, Ben (2016-01-18). "Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy & Mark Jackson Named NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC Team". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
  5. ^ Rajan, Ronce (2023-08-14). "ESPN's Reimagined NBA Game and Studio Coverage Plans for 2023-24 Season". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  6. ^ Rajan, Ronce (2024-02-15). "JJ Redick Joins Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Lisa Salters on ESPN's Lead NBA Broadcast Team". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved 2024-02-21.