Mike Tirico Prepares for NBA Return with Celtics Broadcast

BOSTON, Mass. — Mike Tirico, renowned as NBC’s prime-time Olympic host and play-by-play voice for “Sunday Night Football,” is transitioning back into basketball coverage as he prepares for his upcoming assignment with the NBA. On Wednesday night, Tirico will substitute for Drew Carter during NBC Sports Boston’s broadcast of the Boston Celtics’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

With over 35 years in the broadcasting industry, it might be easier to list the sports Tirico hasn’t covered at the national level. His familiarity with the NBA dates back to his tenure at ESPN, where he called games from 2002 to 2016.

“I’ve spent these good couple of months just watching the league and getting reacquainted because it’s been nine years since I did the games,” Tirico said. “There’s some rust that needs to be knocked off. This was a perfect opportunity to do that.”

Tirico will be joined by NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics analyst Brian Scalabrine and sideline reporter Abby Chin. He expressed enthusiasm about working with Scalabrine and has noted a long-standing professional acquaintance with Carter. “He’s the new generation from our Syracuse sports media mafia,” he said. “I’m such a fan of his.”

Tirico reminisces about his influences in basketball broadcasting, especially Mike Gorman, who recently retired after 43 years calling Celtics games. “Mike was one of my two or three biggest basketball broadcasting influences,” Tirico said. “I was a huge Big East fan growing up in New York City, and Mike was one of my favorite listens.”

As the lead voice for NBC’s NBA broadcasts following the conclusion of the NFL season, Tirico will also call various games from October through February, navigating a packed schedule that includes the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics.

“February is still on the drawing board,” said Tirico. “There have been a lot of conversations about Option A, Option B, and Option C,” acknowledging the complexities surrounding the Super Bowl and its impact on other game plans.

In contrast to the energy around his return, Celtics guard Jrue Holiday continues to face an uncertain timeline as he recovers from a mallet finger injury on his right pinky, which he sustained while grabbing a rebound. Holiday walked into the locker room before the game with a black splint on his finger. “Obviously, it’s a little frustrating,” Holiday said. “I would love to be as healthy as possible, but things happen.”

Fellow guard Derrick White expressed the team’s sentiment about Holiday’s contributions: “It’s nice having Jrue out there, just another guy that makes a play. We know he’s going to do whatever he needs to get back as quick as possible.”

Meanwhile, backup center Neemias Queta is leveraging his limited minutes effectively, dominating the boards and excelling on both ends of the floor when called upon. Head coach Joe Mazzulla praised Queta’s performance against the Denver Nuggets, saying, “He just allows you to coach him. He doesn’t make excuses.”

Despite the challenges posed by injuries, including Kristaps Porzingis sidelined with an illness, Mazzulla continues to strategize ahead of a critical stretch in the upcoming weeks. “You can’t be a Jrue Holiday, but we can all just come together and do a little bit more,” said White, emphasizing teamwork amid adversity.

Tirico, who laughs at the prospect of potentially using “we” during his broadcast, shared his excitement about returning to basketball commentary. “This might be the chance I get to do it,” he said.