NBC has made another prominent NBA hire; five NBA teams are renewing their deals with FanDuel Sports Network; Rich Eisen will make some appearances on ESPN shows.
Vince Carter joining NBA on NBC
NBC Sports announced Tuesday that it has hired TNT NBA studio analyst Vince Carter to serve in the same role on its NBA coverage that resumes this fall. Carter will work one or more days per week in the studio, often alongside Carmelo Anthony.
Since retiring in 2020, Carter has held multiple broadcasting roles across multiple local and national platforms. In addition to his current role on TNT, he once served as a pro and college analyst for ESPN and calls occasional games locally for the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets.
Five NBA teams renew with FanDuel Sports Network
Five NBA teams whose contracts with FanDuel Sports Network are expired or expiring have chosen to remain with the RSN through at least next season, according to Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal. The teams in question — the Bucks, Cavaliers, Hawks, Heat and Timberwolves — opted to remain with the RSN rather than pursue the “beam and stream” model of over-the-air and streaming that has become popular in recent years.
According to Friend, it is not clear whether the teams have agreed to opt in for one or two years, the latter being preferred by FDSN operator Main Street Sports Group. FDSN owns rights to only one NBA team beyond the two year mark, the Detroit Pistons — whose contract expires in 2028.
The timeline largely matches the NBA’s desire to have a centralized platform for local games “no later than 2027.”
Eisen to appear on ESPN studio shows as part of radio show deal
Former ESPN SportsCenter anchor Rich Eisen will make “select appearances” on the network’s studio programming as part of the deal to move his eponymous radio show to ESPN+ and Disney+ this fall, it was announced Tuesday. Eisen, who joined ESPN in 1996 and left to join NFL Network when it launched in 2003, has only rarely appeared on ESPN since his departure.
The ESPN deal does not affect Eisen’s NFL Network role.
