{"id":2258,"date":"2026-02-10T17:46:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T17:46:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/?p=2258"},"modified":"2026-02-10T17:46:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T17:46:33","slug":"nbcs-epic-nba-comeback-all-star-weekend-returns-after-24-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/sports-media\/nbcs-epic-nba-comeback-all-star-weekend-returns-after-24-years\/","title":{"rendered":"NBC’s Epic NBA Comeback: All-Star Weekend Returns After 24 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"
NBC’s “<\/span>Legendary February”<\/span><\/span> reached a new peak with its coverage of the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend, marking the network’s triumphant return to NBA broadcasting rights after more than two decades. This marked the first time since 2002 that NBC aired the NBA All-Star Game, stepping in to replace TNT as a key partner in the league’s media landscape.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

NBC’s big month continues from the NBA All-Star Game<\/h2>\n
The weekend’s events, held February 13-15 at the state-of-the-art Intuit Dome (home of the LA Clippers) and the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, delivered a star-studded showcase amid NBCUniversal’s packed month of premier sports programming. <\/span><\/span><\/span>The buildup to All-Star Weekend came on the heels of NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl LX<\/a> the previous Sunday, while the network’s Winter Olympic coverage from Milan Cortina 2026 continued in parallel. This created an unprecedented overlap of major events, positioning February as truly “legendary” for NBC Sports. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
However, the All-Star Game shifted to an early evening slot at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 15, putting it in direct competition with the Daytona 500 on FOX and serving as a lead-in to NBC’s primetime Olympic programming. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Familiar faces like Mike Tirico and Maria Taylor will be absent from the NBA coverage, as both were committed to Olympic duties.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

NBC’s NBA All-Star Weekend broadcast coverage<\/h3>\n
Instead, NBC assembled a powerhouse roster blending Hall of Fame expertise, recent NBA talent, and fresh voices. Play-by-play duties for all major events fell to Noah Eagle, who at 29 years old will become the youngest commentator to call the NBA All-Star Game. Joining him in the booth will be Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Reggie Miller (a five-time All-Star) and analysts Jamal Crawford (three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year). Courtside reporters Zora Stephenson and Ashley ShahAhmadi will provide on-the-floor insights, while studio host Ahmed Fareed anchored pregame, halftime, and postgame segments alongside studio analysts Carmelo Anthony (10-time All-Star), Vince Carter (eight-time All-Star and 2000 Dunk Contest winner), and Tracy McGrady (seven-time All-Star).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The collective experience of the studio crew is staggering, with Anthony, Carter, McGrady, and Miller combining for 30 All-Star selections. Notably, Carter and McGrady were All-Star teammates in 2002\u2014the last year NBC previously broadcast the event. <\/span><\/span><\/span>For the Rising Stars Game on Friday night, the Hall of Famers Anthony, Carter, and McGrady will serve as honorary coaches alongside NBA veteran Austin Rivers, mentoring a team of G League standouts in a revamped format. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Coverage extends beyond English-language broadcasts, with Telemundo offering Spanish-language options for the All-Star Game. Led by legendary announcer \u00c1lvaro Mart\u00edn, the team included analysts Greivis V\u00e1squez and Diego Balado, courtside reporter Diego Arrioja, and host Adriana Monsalve for pregame, intermission, and postgame.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The weekend tips off Friday, February 13, with the Rising Stars Game at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN, followed by the HBCU Classic (Hampton vs. North Carolina A&T) at 11 p.m. ET on the same platforms, called by Michael Grady. NBA All-Star Saturday Night airs at 5 p.m. ET aired on NBC and Peacock, featuring the Shooting Stars event, as well as the 3-Point, and Slam Dunk Contest. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The 75th NBA All-Star Game caps the festivities Sunday at 5 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo, introducing a new U.S. vs. World format that added fresh intrigue. <\/span><\/span><\/span>On-site programming includes <\/span>NBA Showtime<\/span><\/span><\/em> specials hosted by Fareed with the star analysts, starting at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday (and 9 p.m. ET Friday) on Peacock and NBCSN. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Executive Producer Sam Flood emphasized the network’s enthusiasm: \u201cNBC Sports is excited to once again be the home of NBA All-Star. We look forward to celebrating the players and action on the court and adding to the many memorable moments like Magic\u2019s return and Michael Jordan\u2019s passionate play.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The return evoked nostalgia from NBC’s 1990-2002 era, when icons like Magic Johnson (1990 MVP) and Kobe Bryant (2002 MVP) shone brightest. Behind the scenes, coordinating producer Frank DiGraci, director Pierre Moossa, and others ensured seamless production.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
While excitement for NBC’s NBA return ran high, the month carried a somber note: the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie<\/a>, mother of <\/span>TODAY<\/span><\/span><\/em> co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, who has remained off-air and absent from Olympic hosting duties in Italy. Despite this personal challenge overshadowing some network personalities, the All-Star coverage is expected to deliver a high-energy basketball celebration.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
All events streamed on Peacock, with additional access via NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. This All-Star Weekend not only marked NBC’s bold re-entry into NBA territory but also highlighted the network’s ability to juggle multiple marquee properties in one unforgettable February.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NBC’s “Legendary February” reached a new peak with its coverage of the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend, marking the network’s triumphant return to NBA broadcasting rights after more than two decades. This marked the first time since 2002 that NBC aired the NBA All-Star Game, stepping in to replace TNT as a key partner in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5665,"featured_media":2260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[277,264,238],"tags":[75],"class_list":["post-2258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nbcsn","category-news","category-sports-media","tag-featured"],"modified_by":"Steve Carney","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5665"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2259,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2258\/revisions\/2259"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}