MARIA TAYLOR NAMED NBC SPORTS' LEAD NBA AND WNBA STUDIO HOST
Beginning in 2026, Taylor Will Host Select WNBA Games on NBC and Peacock
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 23, 2025 – Maria Taylor has been named NBC Sports' lead NBA studio host for its coverage of the association, which begins this October on NBC and Peacock. Taylor will host NBC Sports' NBA studio programs on Sunday and Tuesday nights alongside analysts Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter. She will also host select WNBA games on NBC and Peacock when NBC Sports' coverage of the women's league begins in the spring of 2026.
One of the most versatile hosts in sports, Taylor has already anchored many of NBC Sports' biggest events. Since 2022, she has been the lead host -- and first full-time female host -- of Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports. Taylor also served as a host for the Tokyo, Beijing, and Paris Olympics; Big Ten College Countdown, NBC Sports' primetime college football studio program; Roland-Garros semifinals and finals; and more.
'I'm deeply honored to be part of NBC Sports' incredible legacy covering the NBA and to return to the game that first captured my heart, women's basketball,' said Taylor. 'To know that I'll spend the next five years with my NBC family telling the stories of the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the NBA Playoffs, and the WNBA Finals is more than a dream come true -- it's a full-circle moment.'
NBC and Peacock will present national coverage of regional doubleheaders on Tuesday nights beginning in October. After Sunday Night Football coverage concludes in Jan. 2026, NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock, debuting on Feb. 1. Peacock will also livestream exclusive national Monday night games starting this fall.
Beginning in May 2026, Taylor will host select WNBA games on NBC and Peacock. Throughout the 2026 season, NBCUniversal will be home to WNBA regular season and playoff games across NBC and Peacock, as well as the 2026 WNBA Semi-Finals and Finals.
'As the host of Football Night in America and our high-profile programs, Maria has proven that she has the special ability to make her teammates better,' said Sam Flood, Executive Producer, NBC Sports. 'I'm excited to see her bring that same leadership and energy to this new team with Carmelo and Vince, as they build chemistry and set the stage for primetime NBA basketball each week, and the WNBA beginning next year.'
Taylor has prior experience working on the NBA having hosted ESPN NBA Countdown playoffs and Finals coverage in recent years. A former Division I volleyball and basketball player at the University of Georgia, she also hosted College Gameday as well as the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament selection show and Final Four coverage during her time at ESPN. As a result of her NBA duties, Taylor will no longer host Big Ten College Countdown. A new host will be announced soon.
Taylor won a Sports Emmy as part of NBCUniversal's coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was honored as Outstanding Live Special – Championship Event. Additionally, in 2021, Adweek named her one of the 'Most Powerful Women in Sports,' while in 2022, TIME Magazine included her in its TIME100 Next list, which identifies the 'emerging leaders who are shaping the future.' For more information on Taylor, click here.
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In July 2024, NBCUniversal and the NBA announced an 11-year agreement to present NBA and WNBA regular-season and playoff basketball games across numerous platforms beginning with the 2025-26 season. Peacock will livestream exclusive national Monday night games while NBC/Peacock will present national coverage of regional doubleheaders on Tuesday nights. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball in 2026 across NBC and Peacock, providing NBA fans with three consecutive nights of national coverage across NBCUniversal platforms during the second half of the regular season. For more information on the agreement, click here.
NBC Sports has already announced that Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller will serve as game analysts, Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter as studio analysts, and Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as play-by-play voices. Michael Jordan has been announced as a special contributor. Emmy Award-winning producer Frank DiGraci is NBC Sports' NBA coordinating producer. In a nod to its original era of NBA coverage from 1990-2002, NBC Sports is also bringing back Roundball Rock, one of the most iconic and beloved theme songs in sports history, and will use an AI-generated voice of the late Jim Fagan, a longtime NBC Sports narrator whose voice was synonymous with its NBA coverage and promotion.
Additional information about NBC Sports' 2025-26 NBA coverage will be announced soon.
ABOUT NBC SPORTS
NBC Sports connects sports fans to the moments that matter most with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. As the sports division of NBCUniversal, NBC Sports produces, programs, and promotes premier content across numerous linear and digital platforms, including NBC and Peacock. NBC Sports possesses an unparalleled collection of media rights agreements, partnering and presenting many of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the NFL, NBA, WNBA, Big Ten Conference, Big East Conference, Notre Dame, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, USGA, PGA of America, The R&A, Churchill Downs, Premier League, and many more. It is renowned for making big events bigger and has produced some of the most-watched sporting events in U.S. media history, including Olympic Games, Super Bowls, and Sunday Night Football, primetime television's No. 1 show for 14 consecutive years.
--NBC SPORTS--
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