As the 2021-2022 NBA regular season kicks off, ESPN will have a new commentator team leading pre-game series, NBA Countdown.
What’s Happening:
- As NBA Countdown enters its 20th season, ESPN has announced a new commentating team will debut during the show’s “premiere week.”
- Hosted by Mike Greenberg, this year’s lineup will feature a high-profile, veteran team of analysts, including:
- Stephen A. Smith
- Michael Wilbon
- Jalen Rose
- Fans will also enjoy frequent appearances from Earvin “Magic” Johnson throughout the regular season, NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals.
- Additionally, Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc Spears will regularly contribute to all editions of NBA Countdown, and throughout the season, Malika Andrews will contribute exclusive, in-depth interviews with top stars and key personnel from around the league.
- The team will debut at 7 pm ET on Wednesday, October 20th, prior to ESPN’s season-opening NBA doubleheader.
- The NBA Countdown team will serve as the on-site pregame and halftime show of the NBA Finals on ABC.
- NBA Countdown airs on ESPN and ABC on the following days and times:
- Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 pm on ESPN
- Saturdays at 8 pm on ABC
- Sunday afternoons on ABC
- All shows are available to stream on the ESPN App
2022 Updates:
- Beginning in February, ESPN SportsCenter anchor Michael Eaves will host the Wednesday editions of NBA Countdown on ESPN.
- The show will be based at ESPN’s Los Angeles Production Center with analysts:
- Richard Jefferson
- Kendrick Perkins
- WNBA star Chiney Ogwumike
- Smith, Wilbon, Rose, Johnson and Greenberg will continue to handle Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows.
- Additionally, Perkins, Jefferson and Ogwumike, along with Vince Carter and Zach Lowe, will also help form the core cast of NBA Today, Malika Andrews host Andrews and reporters Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
What They’re Saying:
- David Roberts, Senior Vice President, NBA and Studio Production: “This incredible collection of NBA Countdown commentators are among the most respected and recognized in sports broadcasting and their accomplishments are well-documented. As we look ahead to a new era of ESPN NBA studio coverage, the focus, more than ever, will be to serve the NBA fan with smart, topical discussions, unmatched reporting and comprehensive game previews all season long. We look forward to great collaboration between our NBA Countdown and NBA Today teams as they get fans ready to watch the action on the court.”