[1][2][3] On January 30, 1982, the NBA reached a two-year agreement with ESPN to broadcast the league's 40 regular season and 10 playoff games from 1982–83 until 1983–84.

[1][2] ESPN renewed its agreement again in 2024 to take its coverage through to 2036, but with NBC Sports and Amazon Prime Video replacing TNT as broadcasters, national rights were split differently.

[11][12][13][14] ESPN's best-known NBA broadcast team consists of Mike Breen on play-by-play, with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson as analysts.

Other notable commentators throughout the years include Al Michaels, Mark Jones, Dave Pasch, Mike Tirico, Adam Amin, Ryan Ruocco, Hubie Brown, Richard Jefferson, JJ Redick, among others.

Notable sideline reporters include Michele Tafoya, Doris Burke (later a game analyst), Israel Gutierrez, Rachel Nichols, Lisa Salters, Malika Andrews, Cassidy Hubbarth, Ros Gold-Onwude, Jorge Sedano, among others.

[17] In August 2023, as part of a shakeup following the company's layoffs of many of its employees and personalities,[18] ESPN announced major changes in its commentator lineup for the 2023–24 season.

[19] Burke and Rivers replace lead analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Jackson, who were laid off by the network after the 2023 NBA Finals.

[20][21][22] Additionally, a second core broadcast team consisting of Ryan Ruocco, JJ Redick, and Richard Jefferson was formed.

The trio debuted during the opening week of the regular season rather than the preseason, due to Ruocco's assignment for the 2023 WNBA Finals.

[23] After Rivers was hired as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in January 2024, Redick joined Breen and Burke on the lead team.

[25] They also added Tim Legler, Cory Alexander and Jay Bilas as game analysts, and also hired Minnesota Timberwolves TV play-by-play announcer Michael Grady.

For the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals, ESPN used ABC's halftime team of Mike Tirico and Sean Elliott for all the games.

Smith, Legler and Anthony were joined by John Saunders (replacing Frazier, who left to host Entertainment Tonight) from late 2004 to the end of the 2005–2006 season.

[30] Previous reports by The Big Lead.com and The New York Post indicated that Anthony, Legler and Smith along with Saunders would be replaced by Dan Patrick, Michael Wilbon and Mark Jackson.

The program was hosted by either Hannah Storm, Stuart Scott or Mark Jones, alongside analysts Chris Mullin, Jalen Rose, Jamal Mashburn, Jon Barry and Michael Wilbon.

Instead, four analysts (Wilbon, Barry, Magic Johnson, and Chris Broussard) discuss scores, games, and other topics in more of a free form style than previously used.

ESPN2 aired a handful of NBA regular season games from 2002 to 2006, typically in January, when prime time golf tournaments preempted coverage on ESPN.