NBC is taking its NBA studio show on the road.
Basketball Night in America will air on-site for Sunday Night Basketball games when the franchise launches Feb. 1, 2026. NBC confirmed the plan in a press release on Monday, announcing Lenny Kravitz as the performer for the show’s opening. A one-hour studio program will lead into game coverage each week on NBC and Peacock.
NBC recently took Football Night in America on location for the Cowboys-Packers primetime game. Fox and CBS have done the same with their NFL pregame shows this season, and now NBC is bringing that approach to its NBA coverage.
Maria Taylor will host Basketball Night in America after NBC named her lead studio host for the network’s NBA and WNBA coverage in June. She already handles Football Night in America and Big Ten College Countdown, so she has experience with NBC’s on-site studio productions.
Sunday Night Basketball debuts with a doubleheader. The Lakers visit the Knicks at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Thunder at the Nuggets at 9:30 p.m. ET. The franchise pauses on Feb. 8 and 15 for the Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game, and the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, before resuming on Feb. 22 and running through April 5.
NBC’s broadcast team includes Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle on play-by-play, with Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford as game analysts. The studio group features Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Austin Rivers, and Brian Scalabrine. Grant Liffman and Chris Mannix will serve as insiders, while Michael Jordan is expected to contribute as a special contributor.
Whether NBC takes Basketball Night in America on the road for every Sunday game or reserves it for marquee matchups remains to be seen. But the network is clearly trying to replicate what made Football Night in America the most-watched studio show in sports.
Sunday Night Basketball marks NBC’s return to NBA broadcasting after 23 years away. The network last aired games during the 2001-02 season before Disney outbid them for the broadcast rights.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.