Why This Year’s NBA Finals Are Particularly Important For ESPN and ABC
With the 2026 NBA Finals set to tip off tonight in San Antonio, ABC and ESPN are getting ready to cap off the season with a bang.
As the first NBA Finals included in the new 11-year media rights deal that ESPN and the NBA agreed to, this year’s championship is both a culmination of what has come before and the first fruits of an exciting future.
Photo: ESPN
“For us, this will be our 24th NBA Finals, and it never gets old. When you get into this business, being part of an event like the NBA Finals is one of the goals you aspire to. To be approaching a quarter century of covering it is incredibly exciting for our team every year,” said Tim Corrigan, ESPN’s SVP of Sports Production.
(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
“This year is especially meaningful because the Inside the NBA team is joining us for the Finals for the first time. They have redefined studio programming and seeing how excited they are to be part of this event makes it even more special.”
‘Inside the NBA’
The big change to ESPN’s coverage of the NBA this year has been the addition of Inside the NBA.
Photo: DirecTV
“There has never been a more celebrated, trusted, and entertaining studio show than that group. They’ve taken fans places we’ve never been before for decades. They’re Hall of Fame players who became Hall of Fame television personalities,” Corrigan raved.
Photo: The Mirror
“These are incredibly accomplished people who are genuinely excited about something new, and that something new is being part of ESPN and covering the NBA Finals.”
Getting Ready
As the march toward the NBA Finals continued, ESPN and ABC have done everything in their power to ensure fans get the best possible experience.
Photo: Downtown Disney
“Over the past week especially, as everything has become more real, we’ve had a lot of conversations about what this means and how we’re going to execute it together. This is the celebration of our sport,” Corrigan continued.
“Unlike some other events, we don’t know the teams or the location until the very end. That’s part of the challenge, but it’s also part of the excitement.”
Photo: ESPN
While this year’s Finals fall under a new media deal, the goal for ESPN and ABC remains unchanged.
“Success for us is the same as it is for the teams competing in the Finals. We show up, do our jobs, and tell the story of the event. We analyze, educate, entertain, and document these historic moments,” Corrigan explained.
Photo: MickeyBlog
