2026 NBA Finals | History Is Calling
30 teams start the journey, but only two are left standing. Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
NBA fans will have a multitude of options to follow, watch and experience the 2026 NBA Finals, including new viewing offerings and enhanced production elements.
The 2026 NBA Finals between Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks and Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs tips off tonight (8:30 ET, ABC).
The biggest stage in basketball 🏆
The NBA Finals begin tonight on ABC and the ESPN App! pic.twitter.com/2ghRVGGRdm
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 3, 2026
Disney and the NBA are introducing a host of new features, programs and fan experiences for the Finals, highlighted by expanded on-site coverage from ABC and ESPN, including the Finals debut of Inside the NBA.
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal will anchor the official telecast of the pregame, halftime and postgame show on-site from San Antonio and New York.
For the first time, the Inside the NBA crew will serve as the official NBA Finals pregame, halftime and postgame show 🍿
Coverage begins at 7 PM ET on ESPN 🏆 pic.twitter.com/d2zuY9dzM9
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 3, 2026
Each game night will feature a 90-minute pregame show and new cinematic broadcast opens celebrating the history of the league and the players, teams and milestones that have defined the NBA’s biggest stage.
There will also be an alternate Finals presentation during Game 3 — live from Madison Square Garden — starring Pat McAfee alongside Quentin Richardson, Kendrick Perkins, Darius Butler, Tone Digs, Connor Campbell and Ty Schmit.
ESPN will cover the NBA Finals each day starting at 3 p.m. ET, with programming spread out across NBA Today, SportsCenter, Pardon the Interruption, NBA Tip-Off, Inside the NBA and SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt.
NBA Today will expand to two-hour programming — running from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. — on weekend gamedays, and SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt will be filmed live on location at Madison Square Garden for all Knicks home games with former Knicks guard Jeremy Lin joining to provide his unique perspective.
More ways to watch and experience the Finals
• The ESPN app will air inaugural SpursCasts and KnicksCasts to offer localized radio calls alongside ESPN Radio’s national broadcast.
• The NBA App will deliver content during the Finals through behind-the-scenes access to both teams and live coverage from the arenas, including through the perspective of rising stars and draft prospects as part of the NBA Player Correspondents program: 2026 NBA Draft prospect Caleb Wilson (Game 1), the New Orleans Pelicans’ Derik Queen (Game 2) and Jeremiah Fears (Game 3), 2026 NBA Draft prospect AJ Dybantsa (Game 4) and the Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel (Game 5, if necessary) will participate.
• The 2026 NBA Finals courts feature the return of the Larry O’Brien Trophy and Finals script logos on each team’s home floor, designed to enhance the championship atmosphere.
• Fans will be able to track the players’ arrival through the Finals Elevated Entryway, a cinematic runway that will connect today’s stars with their peers who have come before them.
• ABC’s presentation will incorporate 1080P HDR capture and transmission, more than 50 cameras, AI-enhanced imagery, and next-generation replay technology to its broadcast experience.
• Fans all around the world will have an opportunity to participate in events and viewing experiences, including Finals watch experiences hosted in Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta.
• NBA House fan events in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Montreal, Canada and Mexico City, Mexico will bring together fans for watch parties that also feature interactive basketball activities and performances, with additional Finals watch parties planned in South Korea and China. The NBA and USO will join forces to host a Game 1 watch party at a US military base in Okinawa, Japan, to celebrate the USA’s 250th anniversary.
