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The NBA returned to NBC for the 2025-26 season after a 24-year absence, and Tuesday night (March 3) gave fans a dose of pure nostalgia. A throwback broadcast of the San Antonio Spurs versus the Philadelphia 76ers brought back the look, the feel, and the voices of the original NBA on NBC era of the 90s, and the NBA world couldn’t get enough.
NBA World Reacts to NBC’s Throwback Broadcast of Spurs vs. 76ers
The broadcast was part of the NBA on NBC’s Coast to Coast Tuesday lineup, which kicked off at 7 p.m. ET with NBA Showtime on NBC and Peacock. Veteran sports Journalist Hannah Storm hosted the pregame coverage alongside analysts P.J. Carlesimo and Isiah Thomas.
Emmy Award-winning journalist Jim Gray, who served as a courtside reporter for the NBA on NBC in the 90s, was also back on the sideline as a reporter.
The Spurs and 76ers tipped off at 8 p.m. ET. Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs steamrolled the 76ers 131-91, handing them their second biggest loss of the 2025-26 season.
What made Tuesday special was the throwback treatment NBC gave the entire production. The graphics package was pulled straight from 1996.
Bob Costas, Doug Collins, and Mike Fratello were back in the booth together after a more than 20-year hiatus, calling the action just like they did during NBC’s original 12-year run.
The NBA’s official X handle set the tone early.
“The look and feel of this NBA on NBC Throwback NBA Broadcast. Spurs/Sixers tipping now on NBC and Peacock!”
The look and feel of this @NBAonNBC Throwback NBA Broadcast 😍
Spurs/Sixers tipping now on NBC & Peacock! pic.twitter.com/7pvyXbCQW2
— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2026
The NBA on NBC and Peacock’s official account followed right behind as the legends settled into their seats for the first time in over two decades: “The throwback NBA on NBC broadcast crew is ready for the modern era!.”
The NBA on NBC is doing a throwback broadcast tonight with Bob Costas, Doug Collins, and Mike Fratello —
This is awesome. 👏 🙌
(h/t @ClutchPoints) pic.twitter.com/jCot1rsrsb
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 4, 2026
The throwback nature of the broadcast extended beyond the visuals. Having Costas, Collins, and Fratello back together meant the voices matched the graphics, giving the entire production an authenticity.
Yahoo Sports captured the moment, writing: “NBA on NBC is doing a throwback broadcast of tonight’s matchup of Spurs vs. 76ers. The retro graphics,” they posted.
NBA on NBC is doing a throwback broadcast of tonight’s matchup of Spurs vs. 76ers 🙌
The retro graphics 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ybTDCV9B7G
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 4, 2026
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, one of the most respected voices in NBA media today, kept it simple. “So awesome.”
So awesome
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) March 4, 2026
For fans who grew up watching NBC cover Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant every weekend in the 1990s, seeing the old names back in the booth was thrilling. Hoop Central echoed those sentiments, writing: “The NBA on NBC is doing a throwback broadcast tonight with Bob Costas, Doug Collins, and Mike Fratello. This is awesome,” the account posted.
The NBA on NBC is doing a throwback broadcast tonight with Bob Costas, Doug Collins, and Mike Fratello —
This is awesome. 👏 🙌
(h/t @ClutchPoints) pic.twitter.com/jCot1rsrsb
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 4, 2026
Rob Perez, the popular basketball media personality known on X as WorldWideWob, zeroed in on what the scoreboard alone was doing to people. “Look at that scoreboard. Millennial and Gen X nostalgia heaven. Also should stay permanently,” he wrote.
Look at that scoreboard.
Millennial/Gen X nostalgia heaven.
(Also should stay permanently). https://t.co/F6jHzYloeu pic.twitter.com/1OO2Se23sa— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 4, 2026
The BP Journal contributor Gershon Rabinowitz went beyond nostalgia and called it something more. “NBC absolutely nailed the graphics package from the original NBA on NBC. This throwback telecast is artistry,” he posted.
The Mark Jackson Burner’s account, a popular NBA culture page on X, kept it short. “NBA on NBC throwback night. This is fire,” the account posted.
For many younger fans, it was their first taste of what made NBA on NBC so special in the first place. Another popular X handle, SnellSZN, captured perfectly what many fans stumbling onto the broadcast were feeling:
“I don’t know if I just haven’t been watching enough NBA recently and they do this frequently, but I’m loving the retro scorebug and graphics for this NBC broadcast,” they wrote.
The NBA’s new 11-year media rights deal, worth approximately $77 billion and running through the 2035-36 season, brought the league back to NBC for the first time since 2002. Tuesday’s throwback broadcast was a reminder of just how much a generation of fans missed seeing the NBA on this network.
