The NBA returned to NBC on Tuesday after a 23-year hiatus, but there were definitely some bumps in the road as the show went on the air.
NBC’s panel of Maria Taylor, Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady were live at Paycom Centre in Oklahoma City, Okla. for the season opener between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets. The introductions went off without a hitch, but once the group went into the live portion of the “NBA Showtime” pregame show, the technical problems started.
McGrady’s microphone went haywire, and viewers had to endure a good ten seconds of static noise before he awkwardly traded microphones with Carter so he could continue talking. As the segment wrapped up, Taylor’s mic also went out, forcing her to swap with Anthony in order continue.
Luckily, NBC has 11 years to get things right. https://t.co/5s9U9L5DMp pic.twitter.com/lCmWIuPu4G
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The group did ultimately acknowledge the issues, with McGrady attributing the technical difficulties to it being the program’s first night.
NBC is well-established in live sports, so these should just be hiccups. Still, they probably hoped their debut would go a bit better. They brought in a lot of big names to bolster their coverage, and would have hoped to make a good first impression. Ultimately, it’s probably for the best that these issues happened during the pregame show and not the game itself.
