Network Debut of Players Only, Expansive
Studio Coverage & Original Series for 2017-18
Season
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Editor’s note: click here for the NBA on TNT Autotrader Premiere Week announcement
Innovative Players Only Franchise – With Full Cast of Former Players in All Commentator
Roles – Expands to NBA TV for First Half of NBA Season Starting Tuesday, Oct. 24
Season-Long NBA TV Studio & Original Programming to Include NBA GameTime, The
Starters, NBA Inside Stuff, 10 Before Tip, Beyond the Paint & NBA CrunchTime
NBA TV, the destination for fans seeking the most expansive season-long coverage of the league, will
showcase the NBA’s top teams and biggest stars with 106 live game telecasts, including the
Players Only franchise expanding to the network for the first half of the 2017-18 season.
Players Only Presented by Verizon on NBA TV – with former NBA players filling all commentator
roles – will air as the network’s signature weekly game of the week for 13 Tuesday nights – starting
Tuesday, Oct. 24, with the Cleveland Cavaliers hosting the Chicago Bulls – as Dwyane Wade
faces his former team – at 7 p.m. ET – before transitioning to TNT for the remainder of the regular
season starting Tuesday, January 23.
NBA.com VIDEO: Players Only comes to NBA TV
Players Only coverage on NBA TV will include studio coverage anchored by Chris Webber with Isiah
Thomas and Kevin McHale. Commentators for Players Only Marquee Game will include Greg
Anthony (as primary host and play-by-play) and Steve Smith from Atlanta with on-site analyst
Dennis Scott.
The innovative franchise – which debuted on TNT during the 2016-17 NBA season – will continue to
incorporate a more conversational delivery and broader NBA player integrations into the telecasts to
offer viewers an entertaining narrative and deeper insights into the game directly from the athlete’s
perspective.
The network will tip off its regular-season coverage with a doubleheader starting with the defending
NBA Champion Golden State Warriors visiting the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 8
p.m. ET. In the nightcap, the LA Clippers will host the Phoenix Suns at 10:30 p.m.
Early-season game highlights also include a doubleheader on Friday, Oct. 27, beginning with the
Oklahoma City Thunder visiting the Minnesota Timberwolves at 8 p.m., followed by the Warriors
hosting the Washington Wizards at 10:30 p.m. Click here for more details on NBA TV’s game
schedule.
In addition to its live game slate, NBA TV will offer a wide range of original programs including:
The Starters
Entering their fifth season on NBA TV, The Starters will air weekdays at 7 p.m. throughout the
season. Co-hosted by J.E. Skeets and Tas Melas, along with Trey Kerby and Leigh Ellis, the daily
30-minute studio show highlights the most entertaining moments from around the NBA, looks ahead to
the upcoming night’s top games and features a series of unconventional and lighthearted segments
surrounding pop culture and basketball.
Get the Inside Stuff All Season Long
NBA Inside Stuff will make its season premiere Saturday, Oct. 21, on NBA TV at 6:30 p.m. with
an all-new episode featuring co-hosts Grant Hill and Kristen Ledlow. The 30-minute magazine style
show will include premiere episodes on Saturday evenings, giving fans an all-access pass to the
2017-18 NBA regular season and playoffs.
All the Latest News, Highlights and More with NBA GameTime
The network’s signature NBA GameTime studio show will provide highlights, news and analysis
surrounding the leading storylines from around the NBA all season long. The nightly studio show will
feature a deep rotation of top basketball analysts including Shaquille O’Neal, McHale, Webber,
Kenny Smith, Thomas, Hill, Scott, Smith, Brent Barry, Mike Fratello, Anthony, Stu Jackson,
Sam Mitchell and Brendan Haywood. Additional commentators will include David Aldridge, Casey
Stern, Ledlow, Matt Winer, Sekou Smith, Rick Kamla, Ros Gold-Onwude, Jared Greenberg, Ro
Parrish and Chris Miles.
10 Before Tip
Airing Monday-Friday at 6:30 p.m. throughout the season, NBA TV’s half-hour 10 Before Tip studio
show offers news, notes and the latest updates for what fans need to know leading up to tip-off. Hosted
by Greenberg, the show includes guests from around the league, including reporters, on-air
personalities and fantasy experts. Regular guests include Aldridge, Ledlow, Sekou Smith, Howard
Beck and Brian Geltzeiler.
NBA CrunchTime
NBA TV’s fast-paced “whiparound” coverage of live game action – NBA CrunchTime – returns for its
third season. The hour-long studio show, primarily airing Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the
season, will cover all of the excitement around the league with commentators guiding fans through all
the down-to-the-wire buzzer beaters, game-winners and top moments of the night.
Monthly Shows
Regular original programming will also include Winer’s monthly, 30-minute magazine-style show,
Beyond the Paint, O’Neal’s Shaqtin’ A Fool presented by Hotels.com – which recaps the NBA’s
funniest on-court moments – and High Tops: Plays of the Month hosted by Parrish, which will
highlight the top performances around the league on a monthly basis. The network will also showcase
an NBA Game of the Day re-air.
About NBA TV
NBA TV is a part of NBA Digital, the NBA’s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointlymanaged
by the NBA and Turner Sports including NBA TV, NBA App, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS,
NBAGLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.
