We don’t yet know exactly what streaming Amazon’s NBA games on Prime Video will look like, but we do know that Al Michaels won’t be involved.
In an interview with the Los Angeles TimesThe legendary broadcaster has dismissed the possibility of returning to NBA coverage when Amazon begins airing games in 2025. Michaels currently works for the company as the voice of its NFL coverage “Thursday Night Football.”
Specifically, Michaels believes Amazon should build a team it can use for years to come rather than him, 79, whose contract expires at the end of the next NFL season.
Excerpt from the Times:
“I don’t think so. This is a long-term project for Amazon, and they should put together a group that can do this for many years and build. I’m sure that’s what they’ll do. I love being in the NBA, but that was a long time ago and I’m happy to just look to next year and beyond.”
Michaels also mentioned that two NBA owners told him the NBA was more comfortable selling its rights to Amazon because of the “Thursday Night Football” team’s work. And he recommended his friend Greg Kinnear play him in Amazon’s upcoming John Madden biopic.
Few commentators have as much experience as Michaels, who has been calling NFL primetime games for decades, has been in charge of the World Series for years and is responsible for what is perhaps the most iconic hockey call of all time. He also called NBA games for ABC from 2003 to 2005, but few consider him a legend for his work there.
The topic has sparked curiosity about where Amazon will go once its NBA deal goes through, as has the intrigue surrounding its initial TNF team. In that case, the retail giant spent big to poach a big name in NBC’s Michaels, then brought in college football commentator Kirk Herbstreit to make a part-time jump to the pros.
Given that Amazon reportedly spent $1.8 billion on an 11-year deal with the NBA, it seems likely they want to make a splash.
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