| NBA Countdown | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | |
| Starring | Malika Andrews Kendrick Perkins Michael Malone Brian Windhorst Shams Charania |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30-60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ESPN/ABC |
| Release | October 25, 2002 (2002-10-25) – present |
| Related | |
| NBA on ABC NBA on ESPN Inside the NBA | |
NBA Countdown, branded for sponsorship purposes asNBA Countdown presented byPopeyes for ESPN editions andNBA Countdown delivered byPapa John's for ABC editions respectively, is apregame television show airing prior toNational Basketball Association (NBA) telecasts onABC andESPN. The networks have aired NBA games since2002. Typically, the program airs 30 or 60 minutes prior to the game.ESPN2 or another ESPN network may also be used as an overflow channel for the show.
ABC andESPN gained rights to air NBA games prior to the start of the2002-03 season. At the time,ABC Sports operated as a separate entity from ESPN even though both were owned byDisney.
Initially, the NBA pregame show was known asNBA Shootaround. The ESPN version was originally hosted byKevin Frazier, with analystTim Hardaway. The original program was broadcast out of one of ESPN'sBristol studios. Some of the features the first edition ofNBA Shootaround contained wereWalton's World, in which NBA analyst and legendBill Walton would speak about matters related to the NBA, andNeed to Know, in which host Frazier would go over the headlines of the night's upcoming NBA action. Midway through the inaugural season, widely criticized and panned analystTim Hardaway[1] was replaced with recently retired NBA guardGreg Anthony. Frazier and Anthony were the tandem for the pregame show throughout the remainder of the season.
The ABC version was hosted byMike Tirico, with analystsBill Walton andTom Tolbert. Unlike most network pregame shows,Shootaround did not take place in a studio, and instead traveled to a different site each week (much like ESPN'sCollege Gameday). Starting with Game 1 of the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals, Walton was replaced in the pregame show bySean Elliott. Tolbert was dropped from the pregame show starting with Game 1 of theNBA Finals. Tirico and Elliott were joined by a guest analyst for each game of the Finals.
This ABC version ended up not having much consistency, going through five names in five seasons, and several analysts in each season(see below). This was unlike NBC's NBA studio show,NBA Showtime, for the first ten seasons of its existence between 1990 and 2000.
Prior to the start of the2003-04 season, major changes were made to the ESPN version ofNBA Shootaround. The program was moved into itsTimes Square home, and Frazier and Anthony were joined by then-Detroit Shock head coachBill Laimbeer andThe Philadelphia Inquirer columnist,Stephen A. Smith. Nearly all of the features from the first season were discontinued, while several were added (includingFortune Tellers, in which the three analysts, Anthony, Laimbeer and Smith, would dress as psychics and predict the outcomes of several NBA teams). Laimbeer left early in ESPN's coverage of the2004 NBA Playoffs due to his duties as coach of theDetroit Shock, and was replaced byTim Legler. Frazier, Anthony, Smith and Legler were the studio team through ESPN's coverage of the2004 Eastern Conference Finals.
ABC retooled much of its NBA coverage after badratings during its first season. This included its version of the pregame show, which was rebrandedNBA Hangtime, and moved into the network'sTimes Square studios. The pregame show was given new music and graphics, to differentiate itself from its ESPN counterpart, and was still hosted byMike Tirico.Tom Tolbert was brought back as an analyst, but ABC droppedBill Walton from pregame show duties. He was replaced byGeorge Karl. After criticism from the media on Karl's lack of opinion during the program, ABC replaced him on February 22,2004 with formerNew Jersey Nets coachByron Scott.NBA Hangtime lasted through the2003–2004 season, and continued on Christmas Day 2004, prior to the much-hypedLos Angeles Lakers-Miami Heat game. This telecast was the onlyNBA Hangtime to involve analystsSteve Jones and Bill Walton.
In September 2004, Kevin Frazier left ESPN to become the weekend anchor onEntertainment Tonight. He was replaced for the2004-05 season by veteran ESPN anchorJohn Saunders, who had previously done play-by-play for the network's NBA coverage. Saunders was joined by Smith, Anthony, and on a permanent basis, Legler. The new ESPN studio team only had four editions ofNBA Shootaround before the most infamous moments in the history of the network's NBA coverage. After thePacers–Pistons brawl, ESPN went back to its studio for reaction. A visibly angry and shaken Saunders referred to the fans inDetroit as "punks and sissies", and he, Anthony and Legler vehemently defendedRon Artest's actions. After beingcensured[2][3] by ESPN and the media in general, the three quickly changed their opinions. NBA analyst David Dupree wrote in aUSAToday.com chat:
I am good friends with Legler, Anthony and Saunders, as well as Stephen A., and I was appalled at their remarks. You can never justify violence with more violence. Why is it so difficult for professional athletes to understand that they do have to answer to a higher standard because everyone is watching them and they set the behavior tone. The comments of the studio people were as sickening to me as the fight itself. Why don't people realize that it takes a much braver man to walk away than to fight.[4]
Later in the season, Smith and Anthony got into an extremely heated debate about the NBA's age-limit and the questions about race which arose from it. Aside from the serious moments,Shootaround did continue its more light-hearted fare, which included an ongoing storyline (and mockery of Ron Artest's similar situation) about Greg Anthony's "rap album". Still, the season did not end without another infamous moment from the pregame show, when prior to Game 2 of the2005 Western Conference Finals between thePhoenix Suns andSan Antonio Spurs, Stephen A. Smith criticized Spurs forwardGlenn Robinson for not playing in the game. As viewers (and Smith) found out later that game, Robinson was not playing due to his mother's death.
Over at ABC, the pregame show was renamedNBA Game Time. LikeHangtime, it originated from the network's Times Square studios, and was once more hosted by Mike Tirico. Tirico was re-joined by Bill Walton in the studio, and Walton's old broadcast partner fromNBC,Steve "Snapper" Jones. Tom Tolbert was dropped, while Byron Scott and George Karl both returned to the NBA coaching ranks.Game Time, unlike its predecessors, included guest analysts, such asBaron Davis,Jalen Rose,Rick Fox, andBill Russell. During the 2005 Western Conference Finals, Steve Jones fell ill withappendicitis, and was later replaced for theNBA Finals by ESPN analystGreg Anthony.
For the2005-06 NBA season, ESPN continued using Saunders, Legler, Smith and Anthony for its pregame show. On several occasions that year, ABC analystScottie Pippen filled in forTim Legler while he went on assignment. Stephen A. Smith was occasionally absent from the pregame show, likely due to the increased workload he had due to his new talk show,Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith.
The ABC pregame show underwent yet another transformation. It adopted the former name of theESPN2 Tuesday night NBA studio show, and became known asNBA Nation. For most of the season,Mike Tirico hosted the program. He was joined by Scottie Pippen, as Steve Jones and Bill Walton both returned to the broadcast booth. In the first edition ofNBA Nation, Pippen was only seen in the final segment of the show. The first three segments involved special-interest stories and a panel of celebrities and sportswriters discussing issues concerning the NBA. This panel of guests was the first of only two. Though it was originally planned for Tirico to be joined by an in-studio panel of guests each week, the plan was evidently scrapped after January 22. Following that, a panel of guests, all of which directly connected to the NBA or basketball in general, joined Tirico via satellite occasionally (with the exception of March 5, when bothMike Krzyzewski andJerry Colangelo joined Tirico in-studio). Until January 29, the program also featured an NBA-related segment from ESPN'sPardon the Interruption.
On March 3, 2006, theNew York Post reported that ABC would replace Tirico with ESPN'sDan Patrick starting on March 19.[5] Tirico moved to the number two play-by-play team, behind Mike Breen, and Patrick hosted ABC's coverage every week, including theNBA Finals. This move ended the most consistent roleThe NBA on ABC had, which was of Mike Tirico has studio host. In the suddenly revamped edition ofNBA Nation, Patrick was joined by Scottie Pippen, who continued his role as pregame analyst, as well as former ESPN commentator and NBA playerMark Jackson andWashington Post andPardon the Interruption co-host Mike Wilbon on a weekly basis.
On May 12, 2006, theNew York Post reported that Pippen had been let go from his duties as studio analyst for ABC, but would remain an analyst for ESPN.[6] ABC went with the team of Dan Patrick, Mark Jackson and Michael Wilbon the rest of the way, representing a complete change from the beginning of the season.
Despite reports to the contrary byThe Big Lead[7] that were picked up by various media publications[8][9] (namely theNew York Post[10]),Greg Anthony,Tim Legler andStephen A. Smith remained on ESPN'sNBA Shootaround. The only change was the host, withFred Hickman replacing John Saunders.[11]
WithABC Sports' demise and rebranding asESPN on ABC, ABC's NBA pregame show was given its fifth different name in as many years. Now known asNBA Sunday Countdown, the show would continue featuringDan Patrick as host, with analystsMark Jackson andMichael Wilbon. The show would not originate fromTimes Square, but instead originate from the site of that week's game (ala the original version of ABC'sNBA Shootaround pregame show).[12] After only two broadcasts, Mark Jackson moved to game coverage exclusively, and was replaced byJon Barry.
On December 1, 2006, Patrick hosted ESPN'sNBA Shootaround with analystMichael Wilbon from Dallas, site of that night's ESPN televisedSacramento Kings–Dallas Mavericks game.
ESPN completely overhauled its NBA studio in 2008.Stuart Scott andMark Jones rotated hosting the ESPNShootaround pregame show. OriginallyStephen A. Smith andBill Walton were to be the analysts, but after Walton came down with back problems in February,Jalen Rose andRick Carlisle rotated as analysts along with Smith.Greg Anthony andTim Legler were demoted to analysts onNBA Fastbreak,SportsCenter, andESPNEWS, andFred Hickman moved to hostingESPNEWS.
In addition to the change of host, ESPN'sShootaround moved from Times Square to the ESPNBristol, Connecticut studios. On several occasions, ESPN used guest analysts from its other studio shows;Kiki Vandeweghe,Jamal Mashburn andSwin Cash have each made appearances. Stephen A. Smith's role has been greatly reduced. He no longer appeared on set with the main studio group, instead appearing via satellite in a segment called "The A List".Ric Bucher,Marc Stein andJackie MacMullan contributed in a segment called the "NBA Nation", which involved analysis fromBoston (MacMullan),Dallas (Stein), andSan Francisco (Bucher). On the Wednesday following the cancellation of Smith's show, Stephen A. appeared on the set forShootaround.
The ABC version was renamedNBA Countdown, and Patrick, who left ESPN, was replaced by Stuart Scott, joining Bill Walton, Michael Wilbon, and Barry as a contributor/fill-in. For the 2008–2009 season (beginning with theChristmas Day doubleheader), Barry replaced Walton full-time,Avery Johnson became the fourth member of the studio team, andMagic Johnson joined the show doing feature interviews and occasionally joining the studio crew as a panelist.
For the 2010–2011 season,Hannah Storm joined Scott as they alternated as host. For the 2011–2012 season, Wilbon was promoted to the host position, with analysis from Barry and Johnson, andChris Broussard joined as the show as the NBA insider. The show also moved from the ESPN studios in Bristol, Connecticut, to their studios inLos Angeles.
For the 2012–2013 season, the ESPN version was renamedNBA Countdown to match ABC's counterpart.Jalen Rose andBill Simmons replaced Barry and Broussard at ABC, respectively. Barry became a color commentator and Broussard a sideline reporter during games.[13]
For the 2013–2014 season, Magic Johnson announced his departure.Doug Collins andDoris Burke will both be new additions to the program. Also, ESPN announced thatSage Steele would be replacing Michael Wilbon as host, ending Wilbon's 8-year run onCountdown.[14]
Magic Johnson and Michael Wilbon were slated to return to the program in January 2017 to join Sage Steele for pregame coverage for theNBA Saturday Primetime on ABC series.[15] With the 2017 playoffs looming, ESPN replaced Sage Steele withMichelle Beadle as the host ofNBA Countdown on ABC and ESPN.[16] Beadle joined NBA Countdown at the start of the 2016–2017 season, and has led ESPN's regular Wednesday and Friday episodes. Beadle has been named the full time host and will lead ABC and ESPN's NBA pre-game and halftime shows, including for the 2017 NBA Finals on ABC.[17]
As of February 2018, production ofNBA Countdown was moved from ESPN's studios in Los Angeles to ESPN's Bristol, CT studios in the set used for the network's NFL studio shows. In April, the show once again relocated to a new studio at Pier 17 in New York as Michelle Beadle was the host of ESPN's new morning showGet Up!, which debuted on April 2, 2018.
Over the 2019 off-season, reports began to emerge that ESPN was planning to retool the program. In August 2019,Richard Deitsch reported that Beadle was being dropped from the program, and that her assignment would be split betweenRachel Nichols andMaria Taylor.Richard Jefferson andJay Williams were brought in to replaceChauncey Billups, with the network retainingJalen Rose andPaul Pierce.[18] In October, ESPN replacedNBA Countdown as its pre-game show for ABC'sSaturday Primetime broadcasts in favor of on-site editions of Nichols' studio show,The Jump.[19][20]
Those plans crumbled after March 8, as the NBAsuspended play due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Because of that, Nichols resorted to theNBA Bubble at theESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at theWalt Disney World Resort inOrlando, FL, where the NBA restarted their season and held thePlayoffs, where she eventually tookDoris Burke's spot as sideline reporter for theFinals, meaning Taylor was elevated to host the NBA Finals on ABC, andCountdown being restored as ABC's pregame show.
For the2020–21 season, Nichols was tapped serve as lead sideline reporter forNBA Saturday Primetime, and continue as sideline reporter of the NBA Finals, meaning Taylor was officially promoted to Nichols' spot as host, withCountdown being restored as pregame show. After he was part of an inappropriateInstagram video, ESPN quietly dropped Pierce on April 6, without replacement for the remainder of the season. Prior to the2021 NBA Finals, Nichols was removed in favor ofMalika Andrews after a video revealed of Nichols uttering racially insensitive comments towardsblack colleague Taylor. Soon after, Taylor departed to join NBC Sports, and Nichols was removed from all ESPN programming. Nichols has since left ESPN.
For the2021–22 season,Lisa Salters was reinstated as the primary sideline reporter, replacing the departed Nichols. Following the Nichols-Taylor fallout, ESPN tappedMike Greenberg to replace both Nichols and Taylor onNBA Countdown. ESPN also dropped Williams from Countdown, while retaining Rose, and bringing Michael Wilbon,Stephen A. Smith,[21] andMagic Johnson back.SportsCenter anchorMichael Eaves was tapped to host on Wednesdays alongside Jefferson,Kendrick Perkins, and WNBA starChiney Ogwumike. Andrews was tapped to fill-in asCountdown host whenever Eaves or Greenberg have other assignments. After only making two appearances during the season, Johnson did not return for the2022-23 season due to issues with Johnson's schedule.
The2023–24 season saw a couple big changes to the crew as Andrews was tapped as full-time host, replacing Greenberg. Longtime president of basketball operations and general manager of theGolden State WarriorsBob Myers was hired to replace Rose, who was part of ESPN's layoffs.
Ahead of the knockout stage of the inauguralNBA In-Season Tournament in 2023, it was announced that ESPN andTNT would collaborate on coverage involving both their commentary and their pregame and postgame coverage. As part of this,Countdown collaborated with theInside the NBA cast –Ernie Johnson,Shaquille O'Neal,Kenny Smith, andCharles Barkley – with Johnson, Kenny Smith, Barkley and O'Neal appearing onCountdown while Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Wilbon, and Myers would appear on TNT's pregame show,NBA Tip-Off. Additionally, it was also announced the Stephen A. Smith and Wilbon would also appear onInside.[22][23]
On November 18, 2024, ESPN announced thatNBA Countdown would continue to air in the2025–26 season onward alongside theTNT Sports-producedInside the NBA (formerly part of theNBA on TNT), which ESPN and ABC acquired the broadcast rights to as part of an agreement with TNT Sports.[24][25][26][27]
Note: ABC's March 9,2003 edition of NBA Shootaround took place at bothMadison Square Garden in New York, with Mike Tirico and Sean Elliott, as well asStaples Center inLos Angeles with analysts Tom Tolbert and Bill Walton.
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Owners:Walt Disney Company (80%);Hearst Communications (20%) | |||||||||||||||||||