We always knew Mike Tirico would be NBC’s lead voice when the NBA returns to the network next season, and now it’s confirmed that Reggie Miller will join him in the booth. According to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, NBC has hired Miller as its lead NBA color commentator. The Hall of Fame sharpshooter has been a fixture of TNT’s NBA coverage since the end of his 18-year playing career, but with Warner Bros. Discovery no longer holding league rights, he found himself seeking a new opportunity.
At NBC, Miller will not only be calling games alongside Tirico, who was recently named the network’s top NBA play-by-play voice, but also alongside Noah Eagle. Additionally, former shooting guard Jamal Crawford will rotate in as a commentator, allowing NBC to establish two play-by-play voices and two color commentators that can all claim lead roles. While the 59-year-old Miller has spent his media career at TNT and has also called college basketball for CBS, it was unlikely he would remain without work given NBC and Amazon were both looking to fill their coverage teams. Miller was always a prime candidate for either platform.
As Glasspiegel points out, Miller’s connection to NBC makes particular sense given his status as one of the NBA’s top stars during the network’s heyday in the 1990s. His presence evokes a full-circle moment, especially as the Pacers, his former team, were frequently showcased on NBC during fierce rivalries against the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks. While NBC appears to have its top two broadcast teams established, its upcoming Sunday night studio show is still being developed. In contrast, Amazon is reportedly recruiting two of Miller’s TNT colleagues, play-by-play veterans Kevin Harlan and Ian Eagle, as it assembles a studio show set to feature Taylor Rooks, Dirk Nowitzki, and Blake Griffin.
