Former NBA champion and 14-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki is expected to launch his broadcasting career by joining Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of the NBA beginning in the 2025/26 season, according to Dallas-area insider Marc Stein, who reports (via Twitter) that Nowitzki and Amazon are nearing a deal.
Having long broadcast its games on ABC/ESPN and TNT Sports, the NBA will welcome two new television partners next season, when Amazon and NBC join Disney (ABC/ESPN) as the league’s media rights holders, replacing TNT. Amazon and NBC have both begun the process of hiring play-by-play and color commentators for their game broadcasts.
As Andrew Marchand of The Athletic wrote earlier this week, Amazon previously agreed to hire Ian Eagle and make him its top play-by-play announcer, but has yet to hire any game analysts. Marchand identified Nowitzki, Blake Griffin, ESPN’s Richard Jefferson, and Stan Van Gundy as a few potential targets to watch for the streaming giant.
Since retiring as the most accomplished Maverick in franchise history in 2019, Nowitzki has been laying relatively low, having not immediately transitioned into a role as a coach, front office executive, or broadcaster. The Hall of Famer reportedly rebuffed interest from good friend Steve Nash to join his coaching staff in Brooklyn in 2020 and then was named a special advisor by the Mavericks in 2021 when Dallas was seeking a new head coach and general manager.
Nowitzki spoke this past summer about his interest in working in basketball, but made it clear that he wasn’t looking for a coaching job. Instead, it appears he’ll go the broadcasting route.
NBC has reportedly agreed to hire Jamal Crawford as a game analyst and is expected to have Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as its top two play-by-play men. Both Amazon and NBC figure to make several more hires before they begin their NBA broadcasts next year.
I always am perplexed as to why these massive-paying jobs are given to millionaire ex-players who dont need the money or are even good at the gig, when it in reality, if the goal is to have the best possible product, the best commentators would be either comics or professional entertainers or people good at public speaking who have outstanding knowledge and passionate takes about the game. With a small handful of exceptions (Shaq, Charles), ex-players who get into media are almost all personality-less dumb jocks and always boring or infuriating to listen to.
The day the NBA hires Bill Burr or Desus+Mero to call 82 games for a team, its over for all these ex-players who always expect to be gifted a job they never earned.
Yeah it’s extremely stupid to hire former NBA legends to talk about the NBA. Bill Burr definitely has more insight and knowledge about basketball than Dirk ever will.
Lmao yeah Davey we all want to listen to guys who’ve never played the game anywhere close to high level. Anyways, ….pretty much always token journalists in the media next to said players, no? At what point does your jealousy and hatred for anyone and everyone who are more successful than you, who think differently than you mixed with your superiority complex become a ‘You’ thing? I’m pretty sure Dirks playing career played a slight role in this apparent high paid job he doesn’t deserve. I’m not surprised you think you’re more qualified, though. Can you even coach while simultaneously holding a role in the media? You’ll be a busy boy next season seeing how you’re better equipped than Kerr, Dirk, etc. We live in a world where some are hired purely for diversity I.e sex, race and here you are whinging about Dirk getting paid lol. You’re welcome to listen to Malika and Ramona if you wish. Or are you more the professional gossip rumour types like Shams or Windy? Think I’ll listen to Dirk.
100%
I’d much rather the odd banter of 2 former basketball players than even the pairing of a wannabe and a former player like the Spurs have…
Media only types are cringe as commentators in the NBA…
Yeah some of the regional broadcasts are just awful. Like who’s this local ex news guy trying to crack jokes while questioning his counterpart who actually played in the NBA? Who does he think he is? Do we have a mute button for this guy? Sorry, not sorry. I’m not listening to this random ladie either unless she’s a 9 or atleast an 8 out of 10. I don’t care what she has to say about basketball over, let’s say Dirk.
Watch him eat his words in the event Curry or Green goes to broadcasting after they retire lmao