After a 23-year absence, the iconic “NBA on NBC” is set to return in 2025, and it’s bringing back more than just a legendary theme song.
The network is assembling a new team of on-air talent, including respected NBA alumni. However, one name announced has sent shockwaves through the basketball world and even surprised his new colleagues: Michael Jordan.
How Did Jamal Crawford React to His New Teammate?
Jordan has largely avoided broadcasting since his final retirement in 2003, making his decision to join NBC a major surprise. One of his new coworkers, former NBA player Jamal Crawford, admitted he was just as stunned as everyone else.
While speaking with RG.org’s Landon Buford, Crawford shared his genuine reaction to learning he would be working alongside the basketball icon. His response was what you might expect from someone who just found out they are teaming up with a legend of Jordan’s stature.
“I was in New York when I heard the news, and it stopped me in my tracks,” Crawford told Buford. “It felt like one of those moments in music, when everyone’s doing their thing, and then Jay-Z drops an album, and it changes everything.”
He continued, “That’s the same feeling I had when it was announced that Michael Jordan would be part of the team. I’m honored to be his teammate. They even tried to trade for me when I was younger, but now the timing is right, and I’m truly excited.”
“It stopped me in my tracks.” – Jamal Crawford on learning MJ would join NBC’s NBA team. The new era tips off October 2025. 🏀
via @LandonBufordhttps://t.co/mhsOe22sBP
— RG (@TheRGMedia) September 4, 2025
Like Jordan, Crawford is also a Chicago Bulls alum who played for the team two years after Jordan retired for the second time in 1998. While he didn’t achieve the same level of fame as Jordan, Crawford carved out a long, respected career and has since made a name for himself by broadcasting on TNT, NBA TV, and the MSG Network.
In contrast, Jordan has avoided NBA analysis since leaving the court for good as a player in 2003. Instead, his post-playing career has focused on front office roles with the Washington Wizards and, more notably, the Charlotte Hornets. It’s fair to say his success as an executive never reached the heights he achieved as a player.
Still, Crawford’s reaction to the news is completely understandable because, after all, it’s Michael Jordan. He elevated the NBA to a global phenomenon and remains the player most synonymous with the league. Seeing him join a broadcast booth for the first time is a move that will unsurprisingly excite everyone involved, including his well-known new coworkers.
This news follows the bombshell headlines earlier this year when the NBA announced that, with their TNT deal ending, an agreement that began in 1989, the league would enter a partnership with NBC and Peacock, a company that hasn’t aired the league’s games since the most recent deal ended in 2002.
