NBC is expected to hire Jamal Crawford from TNT; the PGA-LIV saga appears to near its end, and more.
Jamal Crawford joining NBC
Former TNT studio analyst Jamal Crawford is expected to join NBC Sports as an NBA analyst when the network resumes coverage of the league in 2025, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Whether Crawford will be on the network’s #1 team remains to be seen, as NBC is also has interest in current TNT analyst Reggie Miller. As has been widely reported, Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle are expected to be the lead play-by-play voices for the network.
Crawford, who left TNT in the offseason, is serving as an occasional fill-in for Walt “Clyde” Frazier on MSG this season.
Marchand also gave an update on the status of ESPN’s lead booth for the current season. Richard Jefferson is considered the favorite to join Mike Breen and Doris Burke for the NBA Finals, with Jay Bilas and Tim Legler also contenders for the role. The report also suggested Jefferson could be in play for a role with Amazon, as well as Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, and current TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy.
PGA, PIF finalizing investment talks
The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund is in advanced talks with the PGA Tour to acquire a 6% stake in the league’s commercial arm, ending the merger talks between the two, according to Bloomberg. The PIF is the financial driver behind LIV Golf, the rival tour that began in 2022 but has struggled to attract audiences despite its high-profile tournament rosters. It’s unclear what effects the investment would have on the future of the two leagues, although as partners, it’s expected they would work to create a mutually beneficial schedule and allow players to compete across both leagues.
The investment would value PGA Tour Enterprises at about $12 billion, per the report.
Plus: GameDay, Olympics, MWC
— The Gasparilla Bowl between Florida and Tulane on December 20 has been moved to 3:30 PM on ESPN2 after initially being set for the same time on ESPN. Presumably, this clears time on the flagship network for a Friday “College GameDay” show at Notre Dame prior to the College Football Playoff game between Indiana and Notre Dame at 8 PM. ESPN and ABC will simulcast the presentation of the game, which will be the first Notre Dame home game not on an NBC network since 1990.
— Organizers for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy have released the competition schedule, with just 15 months until the games begin on February 4. Marquee indoor events like figure skating, hockey, and curling will take place mostly between 2 and 5 PM ET (including the team figure skating finals just hours before Super Bowl LX), with outdoor events like snowboarding and alpine skiing mostly featured in the US morning. NBC has not announced programming details yet, but will presumably offer live daytime coverage in a similar manner to this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris. Italy and Paris are both 6 hours ahead of US Eastern Time.
— The Mountain West Conference announced the addition of UC Davis from the Big West as a non-football member beginning in 2026, bringing the league’s basketball membership up to ten. UC Davis will continue to play FCS football in the Big Sky Conference, with the intention of eventually moving up to the FBS level.
