When Jordan Cornette joined NBC Sports two years ago, he had a premonition that the company would reacquire broadcasting rights to the National Basketball Association. Cornette proved to be correct and will officially add NBA coverage to his slate of responsibilities beginning in the fall, when Comcast commences a sweeping 11-year media rights deal reportedly worth $2.45 billion/year that will place regular-season and playoff games on the NBC broadcast network and Peacock streaming platform.
Sports Media Watch contributor Derek Futterman caught up with Cornette ahead of the October launch of the NBA on NBC and Peacock to discuss the new venture and his time with NBC Sports. The interview is edited for length and clarity.
Sports Media Watch: How significant is it to have NBC Sports back involved broadcasting NBA contests?
Jordan Cornette: “Look at the names on the roster. I won’t rip through them all because I don’t want to leave one out, and they’re all so impressive. I’m just excited to be on that list to be able to deliver that. I know that what NBC is going to do with the NBA this year is going to be so well received by everybody, and we’re so diligent in our preparation and we’re so committed to covering this the proper way and to elevate a league that’s already so elevated.”
SMW: What was your level of confidence in the company landing broadcast rights to the NBA?
JC: “I’m never confident in anything but my ability. You could never be confident that you think media rights are going to go one way or a company’s projection and the momentum they have going this way is where it’s always going to stay. The landscape is just too ever-changing. It’s a turbulent business, this TV thing, in a great way and then sometimes in a frustrating way, but there was definitely no part of me that was like, ‘Oh, they’re guaranteed to get this.’ I had a good feeling that they would get it.
“I guess there was part of me that was thinking, ‘It makes too much sense. I know the NBA would love a partner like NBC because of how great it was when they were working in a partnership before,’ so there was a belief that it could probably happen, but I can’t ever say I was super confident about it because you just never know in this business. But what I did know is honestly, full disclosure, even if the NBA didn’t come, my role with NBC was so fortified and great things that I was doing, I was already very happy with my role. So to add the NBA on top of that, which is like the ultimate dream for a basketball guy, that’s when I feel like, ‘I’m playing with house money right now,’ to add that element of work to what I’m doing.”
SMW: You are going to be working as a courtside reporter for the new entity along with Ashley ShahAhmadi, Zora Stephenson and Grant Liffmann. What were the conversations like in securing this new position and expanding your responsibilities?
JC: “It was a big part of why I wanted to come over to NBC and why there was no negotiation with them and somebody else once I knew that there was full-time opportunity with NBC because I saw the future, and knowing that the NBA was coming and knowing what my ability was as a TV personality — because it’s more vague and far-reaching — I knew that there’d be some space for me, whether it be hosting in studio, whether it be a courtside reporter or whether it ever became an analyst for a game. I knew there’d be a fit somewhere for me in that NBA coverage…
“I know, and I’d like to think that my bosses know, ‘Whatever position we think Jordan can potentially do, he’s going to deliver because that’s what he’s done since he’s gotten here with NBC,’ and so I knew that that potential with the NBA, there’d be some opportunity, and whatever that opportunity is, I’m going to wrap my arms around that thing, I’m going to give it my all, and I’m going to thrive in that role and help enhance what is already this incredible team.”
SMW: Former basketball players seldom take on courtside reporting roles on the broadcasts, instead usually serving as an analyst. How can you leverage your esoteric knowledge and distinctive experiences with enterprising journalism?
JC: “I’m, by nature, I like to tell stories. I’m a very curious person in nature, so I think that lends well to the role of sideline reporter is tell stories, be curious, ask questions, but I also am going to frame this thing in my own way, and then collaboratively, we’ll see how that looks with management and the vision…
“Everything about my approach has been kind of unique, and so I’m going to bring that to sideline reporting. I don’t know how many guys that hold collegiate records on the basketball court that are sideline guys, so that’s the way to differentiate me.”
SMW: What are your thoughts on working under the leadership structure of NBC Sports president Rick Cordella and executive producer and president of production Sam Flood? How do they assist in facilitating success?
JC: “With the leadership of Rick and Sam, everybody knows where they stand. Everybody knows the direction of the company, everybody knows where they stand with the group, everybody has direct lines to leadership. So it just feels like, ‘Okay, I know where I stand, I know who I am,’ and when you have that, it makes your teammates truly teammates, and it fosters such a special environment, and one that is really unique, and it’s really cool to see what’s going on there at NBC.”
SMW: How will you go about working alongside the variety of play-by-play announcers and analysts on the talent roster?
JC: “The commonality of our love for the game also forges that thing into a better place, and so I’ve always prided myself on being able to find that connection, that synergy with a group that I’m working with, to have that great back and forth, so that’s never been something I’ve shied away from, that’s not something that I ever step into with trepidation. That’s always pretty much come organically, that chemistry, and I’ve seemingly always been able to find it with whoever I’m working with.”
SMW: You lost your job at ESPN as a result of layoffs implemented as a cost-cutting measure. What were your feelings upon discovering that you would not be returning?
JC: “I was completely blindsided because I thought I was safe, but it was a great learning opportunity for me that the jobs that we hold [are] not ours. We’re just borrowing them, and anybody can be replaceable, so never put too much of your identity in your job. Give all you can to the job, but understand that there’s so much more to you than just the role you hold, and also be grateful in every day you step in and get to do the really cool things we get to do in sports…
“I’m grateful for ESPN because of that platform it provided for me to kind of showcase my ability, and I learned very quickly that there was a high demand for me to go other places, and to find NBC, what ultimately became an even better place for me and an even better place to work and thrive and work in even cooler entities and properties and be a part of those, somehow what I thought was one of the tougher days of my career ended up being the best thing that ever happened for me.”
SMW: You met your wife, Shae, while working at Campus Insiders and ended up hosting two shows together at ESPN. What has it been like to work alongside her and watch her concurrently thrive in the business?
JC: “A guy named Josh Wine brought me over to Campus Insiders, and I don’t know if he’s well known in a ton of circles, but he should be because he’s discovered a lot of talent, one of them being my wife too in Shae and bringing her over there. And we were two young and raw people but very passionate and committed to working and climbing in this business, and we met there as friends and co-workers, and it blossomed into something that we never could have imagined a couple of kids later and a career in working in two of the most powerful networks in this business.”
SMW: In addition to reporting on the NBA, you will continue appearing on NBC Sports coverage of college basketball. How are you going to go about balancing both responsibilities?
JC: “I can truly cover so many different sports, and I can sit in so many different chairs and I can achieve in so many different verticals within the medium that I think that is rare, and I’ve always prided myself on that, but it comes with a lot of work. I’ve been lucky to get a lot of reps, and I’ve been lucky to get a lot of opportunities along the way that have positioned me to be this guy.”
SMW: How do you go about preparing for the regular season as the start of basketball approaches?
JC: “It’s funny — I get to watch my Netflix shows and other things in this part of the year because once we hit basketball — so once we really hit the start of football from college football on to the last major golf season, I’m only watching sports. That’s all that’s on the TV, and it really helps to have a wife who works in the business because she’s perfectly okay with that, she’s watching it with the same level of interest, so that’s all that’s on my screen, so the NBA and college basketball during that part of the season, and obviously college football as well, so that’s very easy for me.”
SMW: Why is the arrangement for the NBA to air on broadcast, cable and streaming platforms under the 11-year media rights deals the best path forward for the league?
JC: “Accessibility. You can get it in so many different ways, and each network is going to approach it differently. Nobody wants to go to a restaurant, look at a menu and see one thing on the menu. They want a variety, they want to try a bunch of different things, and so each network’s going to have its own flavor, its own style, and I think that’s great for every viewer and all the consumers and audiences out there that it won’t feel monotonous.
“You’ll get a different vibe with each different place, but also just the offering will be so robust — you’ll be able to see it everywhere, it’ll be more accessible to everybody to watch these games, and I think that’s great, and I’m excited for the league. That’s why I’m excited to be covering it because it’s a league that I love, and I think with these rights deals, it’s putting the league in its best possible position, and that’s a win for everybody, so I am lucky to be one of a few lucky people across different networks that get to cover this great game at its highest level.”
