Entertainment and Media

Basketball and live broadcasting have a lengthy history together and over the years and more recently, the sport has aligned itself with movies, music, variety shows, home video, advertisements, books, video games, and yes, of course, reality television.

FEATURED LISTS

Media matters: A history of the NBA in 12 television rights contracts

Just as the NBA itself has morphed, grown, and shifted over the years, so has the league’s contract agreements to broadcast games nationally.

December 1, 2024June 12, 2026

Primetime players: 14 notable NBA crossovers with Saturday Night Live

June 21, 2025June 12, 2026

Video killed the radio star: Seven notable VHS releases from NBA Entertainment

March 11, 2024June 12, 2026

Strictly commercials: 19 memorable television advertisements starring NBA players

February 1, 2024June 12, 2026

Digital dunks: 18 great, influential, outrageous, or otherwise notable basketball video games

December 21, 2022June 12, 2026

Lights! Camera! Shaq-tion!: 21 films that star (or prominently feature) NBA players

October 11, 2020June 12, 2026

Start getting real: 20 NBA players with memorable reality television appearances

December 11, 2019June 12, 2026

FULL archive

Dead air: Eight legendary NBA players who struggled as television broadcasters

Playing on television in front of millions is one thing when you’re on the court, but for these eight NBA legends, talking into the camera was the real challenge.

December 11, 2025June 1, 2026

Primetime players: 14 notable NBA crossovers with Saturday Night Live

As Saturday Night Live celebrates its 50th anniversary, we take a look back at 16 instances where the NBA was represented on the sketch comedy show in some form.

June 21, 2025June 12, 2026

Won’t see my picture on the cover: 10 NBA Finals that weren’t featured on a Sports Illustrated cover

For decades, Sports Illustrated was the weekly arbiter of what was notable in the world of sports. Here’s a look back at 10 times when the former paper of record for newsworthy sports milestones opted to de-emphasize the NBA Finals.

June 1, 2025June 11, 2026

Faces in the crowd: 12 NBA celebrity superfans

Our taxonomy of the biggest celebrity NBA fans around, from movie stars to rappers to the one and only Jack Nicholson.

May 21, 2025June 12, 2026

Boomshakalaka!: Ranking the 27 rosters from the original NBA Jam (1993 arcade edition)

Let’s grab our roll of quarters and call dibs on next game, because we’re traveling back in time to 1993 to rank the rosters from the original arcade version of NBA Jam, on the 30th anniversary of its initial release.

January 21, 2025May 28, 2026

Soles power: 16 notable signature basketball shoes

Many a Christmas tree featured one of these pairs of shoes under it over the years, after the 16 superstars listed below blessed the line with their donning of them and/or their name.

December 21, 2024October 23, 2025

Media matters: A history of the NBA in 12 television rights contracts

Just as the NBA itself has morphed, grown, and shifted over the years, so has the league’s contract agreements to broadcast games nationally.

December 1, 2024June 12, 2026

Golden voices: Eight NBA announcers with retired microphones

Only the most beloved icons behind the microphone have been granted their franchises’ greatest honor, a place in the rafters amongst the playing legends

November 11, 2024October 23, 2025

Video killed the radio star: Seven notable VHS releases from NBA Entertainment

As part of our Totally ’80s series, we go full nostalgia, recalling some of the most indelible home video releases of the decade from NBA Entertainment

March 11, 2024June 12, 2026

Strictly commercials: 19 memorable television advertisements starring NBA players

One the eve of another Super Bowl, we take a look back at 19 classic, disastrous, and otherwise memorable national television commercials which featured NBA superstars.

February 1, 2024June 12, 2026

Don’t you forget about me: 80 basketball moments from the ’80s that changed the sport forever

As part of our Totally ’80s series, we explore the 80 most monumental, controversial, influential, unforgettable, and indescribable basketball moments from the 1980s.

January 11, 2024October 23, 2025

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