Sports
2023 NBA Finals on ABC Presented By YouTube TV: Denver Nuggets vs. Miami Heat Starts June 1 – ESPN Press Room
For the 21st consecutive season, ABC will exclusively broadcast the NBA Finals Presented By YouTube TV, beginning Thursday, June 1, at 8:30 p.m. ET. In the 2023 NBA Finals, the Denver Nuggets and two-time NBA M.V.P. Nikola Jokić will square off with the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler. The event marks the first time the Denver Nuggets have competed in the NBA Finals and the seventh for the Miami Heat. The NBA Finals on ABC schedule is below.
New this season, weeknight NBA Finals game broadcasts will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET, while Sunday games will air at 8 p.m. NBA Countdown, ESPN and ABC’s NBA pregame show, will precede each game on ABC with a 30-minute pregame show, starting at 8 p.m. on weeknights and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays.
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Breen will serve as the voice of the NBA Finals, alongside analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson with Lisa Salters reporting. Breen and Salters were among the winners at the 2023 Sports Emmy Awards.
Updated NBA Finals commentator milestones:
Production and innovation:
Tim Corrigan, ESPN Vice President of Production, will continue to lead game production for the NBA Finals on ABC. Corrigan has been a part of all 21 of ESPN’s NBA Finals on ABC productions.
2023 NBA Finals game schedule:
*If necessary
NBA Countdown Presented By DoorDash will hit the road for shows preceding all NBA Finals games. Mike Greenberg hosts NBA Countdown with analysts Stephen A. Smith and Jalen Rose, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Wilbon and Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski. This is the second NBA Finals for this pregame and halftime team.
For the first time, NBA in Stephen A’s World Presented By YouTube TV, ESPN’s recurring NBA alternate presentation starring Stephen A. Smith, will air during the NBA Finals. The NBA in Stephen A’s World will accompany the traditional game broadcast for Game 1 on Thursday, June 1, at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The guest list for the Game 1 edition will be announced the day of the game.
ESPN Radio will nationally broadcast the 2023 NBA Finals over the airwaves, with audio available to stream on the ESPN App. Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame analyst Doris Burke will call her fourth NBA Finals. In 2020, Burke became the first woman to serve as NBA Finals game analyst on any platform. P.J. Carlesimo will also serve as analyst for the series. Marc Kestecher will return as the voice of the NBA Finals on ESPN Radio with Rosalyn Gold-Onwude reporting.
NBA Today, ESPN’s weekday afternoon NBA studio show, will travel to the NBA Finals, with shows emanating live from site at 3 p.m. ESPN NBA reporter and host Malika Andrews leads coverage of NBA Today from site with analysts Richard Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins and Chiney Ogwumike, Senior Writers Zach Lowe, Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst and Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski making appearances. NBA Today at the NBA Finals will feature special guest appearances and interviews.
Hoop Streams, ESPN’s NBA digital pregame show, will precede every NBA Finals game 30 minutes prior to tipoff. ESPN host and reporter Cassidy Hubbarth leads coverage of Hoop Streams with Gary Striewski and Christine Williamson. Hoop Streams is available on the ESPN App, as well as ESPN’s Twitter, YouTube and Facebook platforms.
SportsCenter, ESPN’s flagship news and information show, will continue its daily documentation of the NBA. ESPN NBA analysts Tim Legler and Monica McNutt will appear on SportsCenter and other ESPN programming, including Get Up and First Take, during the NBA Finals.
ESPN.com will provide comprehensive NBA Finals coverage through its deep roster of reporters, including Tim Bontemps, Nick Friedell and Zach Lowe. On June 1, the day of Game 1, ESPN.com will have a piece exploring the turning point in Nikola Jokić’s professional career.
The 2023 NBA Playoffs on ESPN platforms has averaged 5,579,000 viewers through 31 games, up nine percent from 2022. It is the most-watched NBA Playoffs on ESPN platforms since 2012, according to Nielsen.
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