Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, NBA on NBC rounds out its talent with the additions of Terry Gannon, Tracy McGrady, and many game analysts, CBS Sports is gearing up for another NFL season with an impressive lineup of announcers, and more.
Tracy McGrady Joins NBC Sports as NBA Studio Analyst
Tracy McGrady, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and a seven-time NBA All-Star who is widely considered one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, will join NBC Sports as a studio analyst when the NBA returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock this fall.
McGrady played 16 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Toronto Raptors (1997-2000), Orlando Magic (2000-2004), and Houston Rockets (2004-2010). His illustrious career saw him earn multiple awards and accomplishments, including his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. McGrady was a seven-time NBA All-Star; a seven-time All-NBA selection, including First Team in 2002 and 2003; a two-time NBA scoring champion; the 2001 NBA Most Improved Player; and six top-10 finishes in NBA MVP voting. During his career, McGrady also spent time with the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, and San Antonio Spurs.
McGrady has broadcasting experience as well, joining ESPN in 2016 as an NBA analyst. During his tenure with the network, he appeared on programs such as SportsCenter, NBA Countdown, and The Jump. He also spent time as an NBA analyst for TNT Sports, appearing on Inside the NBA.
“I’m humbled and grateful for the opportunity to join NBC Sports as the game returns to a network that helped shape so many iconic basketball memories,” says McGrady. “Basketball has given me everything, and I’ve always just tried to give that same energy back. I hope I can bring the same passion, insight, and love for the game that’s driven me since I was a kid, to all who tune in to watch on NBC and Peacock. I couldn’t be more excited to join this team alongside so many others I admire.”
When McGrady joins NBC Sports in October for the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, he will be in studio one or more nights per week through the playoffs, often working alongside Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter, as well as hosts Maria Taylor and Ahmed Fareed. McGrady and Carter are cousins, and both started their NBA careers with the Raptors.
“Tracy has performed at the highest level both on and off the court and has already demonstrated his ability to deliver his unique perspective on air,” says Sam Flood, Executive Producer, NBC Sports. “Whether paired with Carmelo, Vince, or both, we’re excited to see how this team of Hall of Famers comes together and breaks down the game.”
During the prime of his career, McGrady was one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA. On December 9, 2004, while playing for the Rockets, he put on one of the most famous offensive displays of all time, scoring 13 points in the final 35 seconds of a game, including a last-second three-pointer, to clinch a comeback victory against the Spurs. The explosive sequence saw him hit four consecutive three-pointers, one of which was a four-point play. Additionally, McGrady’s 2002-03 scoring average of 32.09 points per game was the second-highest average of the entire 2000’s, second only to Kobe Bryant’s 35.40 in 2005-06.
The ninth overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, McGrady came to the NBA right after a decorated high school career split between Auburndale High School in Florida and Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, N.C. During his senior year, he was named Mr. Basketball USA, a McDonald’s All-American, and USA Today’s High School Basketball Player of the Year.
Terry Gannon Joins NBC Sports’ NBA Coverage as Play-by-Play Voice
Joining the NBC Sports’ team along with McGrady, Terry Gannon — NBC Sports’ critically acclaimed Olympic and golf commentator — will join NBC Sports’ NBA coverage as a play-by-play voice.
Gannon has been with NBC Sports since 2010, when he joined GOLF Channel to work on its coverage of the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour. Since then, Gannon has regularly announced golf for NBC Sports, including this weekend’s The Open Championship from Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland on NBC, USA Network, and Peacock.
He has also worked seven Olympic Games for NBC Sports, where he’s called gymnastics (Paris, Tokyo), figure skating (Beijing, Sochi, PyeongChang), golf (Rio), and rowing and flatwater canoeing (London). As part of NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Gannon won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Live Special – Championship Event. He has also co-hosted the Closing Ceremonies for the Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, and PyeongChang Olympic Games.
Gannon also has extensive experience working in basketball, beginning his broadcasting career as a college basketball analyst for Raycom Sports and Jefferson-Pilot Sports, two regional networks in North Carolina. Upon joining ESPN in 1993, Gannon served as a college basketball analyst and play-by-play voice, an NBA play-by-play voice, and the lead WNBA play-by-play voice from 2004-2012. Since 2023, Gannon has called Big Ten basketball for NBC Sports.
Gannon has experience playing on the hardwood as well, as he was a member of the 1983 North Carolina State University National Championship basketball team. Gannon was on the floor for Lorenzo Charles’ game-winning dunk as time expired to beat Houston’s ‘Phi Slama Jama’ team which included future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. During his four-year career for Jim Valvano’s Wolfpack (1981-1985), Gannon was a two-time Academic All-American and the school’s all-time leading free throw shooter. In 1983, with an experimental three-point line adopted by several conferences, he was the number one three-point shooter in the nation.
NBC Sports Finalized Game Analyst Team, Adds Play-by-Play Voice for NBA Coverage
Additionally, NBC Sports finalized its NBA game analyst and play-by-play rosters today with the additions of analysts Brad Daugherty, Derek Fisher, Robbie Hummel, Austin Rivers, and Brian Scalabrine, and play-by-play voice Michael Grady.
Daugherty, Fisher, Hummel, Rivers, and Scalabrine round out a game analyst roster for NBC Sports which also includes previously announced NBA veterans Jamal Crawford, Reggie Miller, and Grant Hill. Grady joins Mike Tirico, Noah Eagle, and Gannon as NBC Sports’ play-by-play voices for the NBA.
This group will handle up to 100 regular season games — including five games a week for portions of the season — plus the playoffs.
Daugherty, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, played nine seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and had his No. 43 retired by the team. Daugherty had a storied college career at the University of North Carolina, playing two seasons alongside Michael Jordan and earning two first-team All-ACC selections and a second-team All-America selection. As a co-owner of Hyak Motorsports and stockcar enthusiast, Daugherty joined NBC Sports in 2020 as a NASCAR pre- and post-race analyst.
A five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000-2002, 2009-2010), Fisher played 18 seasons in the NBA and appeared in 287 playoff games, second only to LeBron James on the all-time list. The No. 24 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft out of Little Rock, Fisher played in eight NBA Finals (seven with the Lakers, one with the Oklahoma City Thunder). After retiring in 2014, Fisher spent time as the head coach of the New York Knicks and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
A two-time AP Honorable Mention All-American during an impressive career at Purdue (2007-2012), Hummel was selected in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft and played two seasons for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Since 2023, Hummel has been an analyst for NBC Sports’ presentation of Big Ten men’s basketball and served as a men’s basketball analyst on NBCUniversal’s Paris Olympic coverage.
The No. 10 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Duke, Rivers played 11 seasons in the NBA, making the playoffs eight times. He spent his career with seven teams (New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves). Rivers’ father is NBA champion-head coach Doc Rivers, who coached Austin for three-and-a-half seasons with the Clippers. Following his retirement in 2023, Rivers began his broadcasting career as a studio analyst for ESPN before joining NBC Sports in 2025 as a college basketball analyst. Rivers will occasionally work as an NBC Sports studio analyst as well.
A second-round pick out of USC in the 2001 NBA Draft, Scalabrine played 11 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the New Jersey Nets and Boston Celtics. During his career, he played in four NBA Finals, winning one in 2008 with the Celtics and becoming a city fan favorite. Since the 2020-21 NBA season, he has been NBC Sports Boston’s primary game analyst for Celtics’ games. He makes weekly appearances on the network’s Celtics Insider show as well as other NBC Sports Boston programming throughout the year. Scalabrine will occasionally work as an NBC Sports studio analyst as well.
Michael Grady has been the play-by-play voice of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Bally Sports North since the 2022-23 NBA season, which led him to ESPN’s rotation of NBA play-by-play announcers at the start of the 2024-25 season. He has also called NBA games for TNT Sports. Grady began his career as the PA announcer at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the Indiana Pacers and Fever, and in 2017, began serving as a sideline reporter for the Brooklyn Nets on YES Network and started calling select games for the team in 2020. Grady will continue to call some games for the Timberwolves.
CBS Sports Reveals 2025 NFL on CBS Announcer Lineup
CBS Sports has unveiled its announcer lineup for the 2025 NFL on CBS season, beginning on Sunday, Sept. 7 on CBS and Paramount+. For its 66th year of NFL coverage, the NFL ON CBS will broadcast more than 100 regular-season games and more Sunday games than any other network, including marquee matchups in the 4:25 PM, ET national game window, the most-watched window in all of television.
The full game announcer lineup includes:
- Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson
- Ian Eagle, JJ Watt, and Evan Washburn
- Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, and Melanie Collins
- Andrew Catalon, Charles Davis, Jason McCourty, and AJ Ross
- Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, and Aditi Kinkhabwala
- Tom McCarthy, Ross Tucker, and a rotating reporter
- Beth Mowins and Chris Lewis as play-by-play announcers for select games
- Logan Ryan as an analyst for select games
- Amanda Balionis and Tiffany Blackmon as reporters for select games
The NFL Today will feature host James Brown alongside analysts Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson, and Matt Ryan. This season, the show will hit the road on select Sundays for some of CBS Sports’ most-anticipated games, starting in Week 1 from Lambeau Field when the Packers host the Lions.
ESPN Re-Signs Steve Mason and John Ireland to a Multi-Year Agreement
ESPN has announced a multi-year agreement with Steve Mason and John Ireland, co-hosts of the long-running ESPN Los Angeles (710 AM) show Mason & Ireland. The duo, who have worked together for more than 30 years, will continue delivering afternoon drive entertainment to Southern California sports fans through Super Bowl LXI, which will air on ESPN and ABC. Mason & Ireland is a flagship program on ESPN LA, the radio home of the Lakers, USC, Kings, LAFC, and Angels.
Since arriving to ESPN LA in 2005, the duo have remained a cornerstone of the Los Angeles sports media landscape, known for its candid commentary, celebrity guests and deep connections to local teams. The show showcases Mason’s passionate fandom and Ireland’s insight from his longtime role as the Los Angeles Lakers’ radio play-by-play voice.
Mason & Ireland airs weekdays from 12 to 3 p.m. PT on ESPN LA, streaming on the ESPN LA app. The show is also simulcasted on YouTube on the ESPN LA feed.