
NBA's new TV deal: What it means for Spurs fans
Why it matters: This is the debut season of the NBA's new 11-year media rights deal with NBCUniversal, Amazon and ESPN, which reshuffles who shows what and when.
It also marks the end of "NBA on TNT" after 36 seasons.
By the numbers: The Knicks, Thunder and Lakers top the league with 34 nationally televised or streamed games each.
In Texas, the Rockets (28) and Mavericks (23) each have more national matchups than the Spurs, according to Front Office Sports.
State of play: The Spurs have two marquee matchups.
Opening Week vs. standout rookie Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks on Oct 22 (ESPN).
Christmas Day vs. the Thunder (ABC and ESPN) — one of the league's most coveted regular-season slots.
How it works: The nationally televised schedule varies by day of the week.
Mondays: Peacock
Tuesdays: NBC/Peacock
Wednesdays: ESPN
Thursdays: Prime
Fridays: Prime and ESPN
Saturdays: Prime (afternoon games) and ABC/ESPN App (night games)
What they're saying: Fans are still figuring out the changes.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
20 minutes ago
- USA Today
When will former Thunder Dillon Jones receive his NBA championship ring?
As is tradition, Opening Night will be about the Oklahoma City Thunder. The NBA champions will kick off the 2025-26 regular season when they host the Houston Rockets. The pregame ceremony will be as intriguing to watch as the game itself. They will drop their title banner and be handed their ring. Once the festivities are over, the Thunder will start their championship reign. They're a popular pick to repeat as champions. They sit at the mountaintop knowing they're going to get the best shot of the other 29 teams in the league. Before they fully move on from their 2025 NBA Finals win, though, they have one small afterparty left to celebrate one of the greatest teams in league history. One of the reasons why the Thunder are viewed as the consensus favorite is their continuity. Besides some bottom of the depth chart changes, the Thunder will run it back with the same roster. Because of that, there will be at least one more pregame ring ceremony after Opening Night. Dillon Jones will return to OKC early in the season. The Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Washington Wizards on Thursday, Oct. 30. It should be a mundane blowout as both teams are on opposite sides of the NBA highway. Before that happens, though, Jones will receive his championship ring. The Thunder traded Jones in a salary dump deal. The 23-year-old had a forgettable rookie season that turned out to be his only year in OKC. He won an NBA championship out of it and now hopes to get rotation minutes in a rebuild situation. It'll be fun to see Jones receive his championship ring. He's the only player who left the Thunder's standard roster. Everybody else will be back next season as they hope to get another NBA championship.


Newsweek
21 minutes ago
- Newsweek
NFL Insider Provides New Update on Chiefs' Rashee Rice
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Kansas City Chiefs and their fans are still licking their wounds after the team's lopsided loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIV. That loss prevented it from becoming the first team to ever claim three straight Vince Lombardi Trophies. While some may be counting out the Chiefs for this season, Patrick Mahomes and crew are still expected to do a good amount of damage, if not return to the big game. The biggest concern for Kansas City right now appears to be wide receiver Rashee Rice's impending suspension. ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported a couple of days ago that Rice is expected to have his disciplinary hearing with the NFL on Sept. 30, which seems to indicate that Rice will be able to play in at least the first four games of the regular season. Read more: Chiefs Get Major Update on Rashee Rice's Looming Suspension According to another ESPN insider -- Tom Pelissero -- the league wants to suspend Rice for a long stretch of games. "The expectation is Rashee Rice is going to be suspended for a portion of the 2025 season," Pelissero reported. "The question now is how much? My understanding is the NFL initially proposed a lengthy suspension — double-digit games for Rashee Rice — the players union and Rice's attorney and agents argued for a much shorter suspension, in part, because there is no precedent for suspending someone for over half the season in a case like this." The NFL initially proposed a lengthy suspension that would sideline #Chiefs WR Rashee Rice for over half the season. And while a Sept. 30 hearing date has been set, it's still possible a settlement could be reached before the season. @NFLGameDay @nflnetwork — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 15, 2025 In fact, Pelissero said that there isn't any real clarity on when Rice would serve his likely suspension, and that it could still come during the beginning of the schedule. "There is still a possibility the sides could come together and agree to a settlement on a suspension that would allow Rice to be suspended at the start of the season," Pelissero added. "If not, he would be eligible for at least those first (four) games, but given the fact that not only the decision-making process but potential appeals could extend that process into October or November, this is something then that could jeopardize his availability for the postseason." Read more: Chargers Urged to Trade Key Wide Receiver Before Start of Regular Season Over the last couple of years, Rice has started to emerge as a legitimate threat for the Chiefs. As a rookie in 2023, he caught 79 passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns, and last year, he had 24 catches, 288 yards and two touchdowns before a knee injury prematurely ended his season. They have lacked a legitimate star wide receiver ever since trading Tyreek Hill, an eight-time Pro Bowler, in 2022. KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 15:Rashee Rice #4 of the Kansas City Chiefs catches a pass during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium... KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 15:Rashee Rice #4 of the Kansas City Chiefs catches a pass during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on September 15, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. Rashee Rice sustains knee injury in Week 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. MoreBut Rice seems to be on his way to perhaps becoming one. Additionally, speedster wideout Xavier Worthy showed some promise as a rookie in 2024 with 742 total yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. Their tag-team duo of Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt at running back looks rock solid, as does their defense, which was fourth in points allowed last year. Any team with Mahomes on it can beat any other team, especially in high-leverage situations, and he could have as many weapons around him as he has had in a couple of years -- when Rice is available to play. For more on the Chiefs and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Why did Giannis Antetokounmpo slap Greece national teammate in viral video?
EuroBasket 2025 doesn't begin until Aug. 27, and the Greece national team doesn't debut until the following day, but Giannis Antetokounmpo already has Hellas going viral a week early for something that happened in a huddle. Teams are practicing and playing exhibitions in preparation for the tournament, and during one such session for Greece, Antetokounmpo slapped teammate Giannoulis Larentzakis across the back of the head in a video shared Saturday on X. The cause of the slap hasn't been confirmed, which has only caused people to speculate on the seriousness of the situation. But what's clear is Antetokounmpo really put some oomph into this swing. Why did Giannis slap him? Again, there hasn't been any comment from the Greece side of things, so who knows? But if you want a couple totally not made up possibilities: Was Giannis being serious? As hard as the slap appeared to be, it's possible Giannis wasn't slapping Larentzakis with ill-intent. In fact, one former NBA player and Larentzakis' EuroLeague teammate, Evan Fournier, already made light of the situation in a tweet. The Eurohoops X account noted that Larentzakis and Antetokounmpo grew up and went to high school together and remain close friends. A fan account posted another angle of the slap and the aftermath of the huddle, and everything at least appeared fine as players walked to the bench. That's all we know for now. It was certainly a hard slap. It may or may not have been that serious.