Former Rockets Wing, Hall of Famer to Make Broadcasting Debut in Opener

The 2025-26 NBA season will have a very different look to it. Not just because of the amount of players that will be donning new threads, although there are many. Kevin Durant, will be sporting a Houston Rockets uniform, Myles Turner will be donning a Milwaukee Bucks uniform, Cam Johnson will be donning a Denver Nuggets uniform, following the trade that sent Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets.

The list goes on.

I think you get the point.

The NBA will have new broadcast partners, as part of an 11-year $76 billion deal inked last summer, which made Amazon and NBC new partners, while keeping Disney in the fold (i.e. ABC and ESPN). The deal marked the end of Turner Sports' partnership with the NBA, along with the popular and award-winning 'Inside the NBA', which featured the likes of former Houston Rockets Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley, along with legendary center Shaquille O'Neal and Ernie Johnson.

As part of the deal, Amazon Prime enters the NBA arena for the first time and 'NBA on NBC' returns after their 23-year leave of absence.

Since the deal was inked, NBC has compiled quite the crew, headlined by Michael Jordan, in addition to a duo of former Rockets stars Tracy McGrady and Carmelo Anthony.

Not to mention Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford, and Vince Carter.

Talk about a lineup!

On opening night, Anthony, will be making his TV debut when the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder take the court. Interestingly enough, Anthony played for both teams during his illustrious, 19-year Hall of Fame career.

'Melo will be operating as studio analyst for the network.

After Anthony first joined the network earlier in the year, he released the following statement.

"Watching the NBA on NBC growing up shaped my love for the game. Now, I’m thrilled to join the NBC Sports family. I’ve always used my platform to help grow the game, and I’m excited to bring fans a fresh perspective as we usher in a new era of NBA coverage and programming.”

On Sunday, the game got a bit more intriguing, following Durant's social media post about Oklahoma City finally winning a championship over a decade after he last led them to the 2012 NBA Finals -- a matchup between the young Thunder supertrio of Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden and the Miami Heat's 'Heatles', comprised of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.