STAMFORD, Conn. – The wait is over! Sunday Night Basketball, NBC Sports’ marquee NBA program of the week, begins this Sunday, Feb. 1, with a can’t-miss doubleheader beginning with two of the league’s most iconic franchises – the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks – facing off at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” in Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York City at 7 p.m. ET.
Following the first game, the defending champion and Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder will visit the ascendant Denver Nuggets from Ball Arena in the Colorado capital at 9:30 p.m. ET, with both games on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo.
Sunday Night Basketball will present top-tier NBA games featuring the league’s best and brightest stars with NBC Sports’ renowned production and emphasis on storytelling. Similar to Sunday Night Football – the most-watched show on TV for a record 15 consecutive seasons – SNB will begin with a show open starring GRAMMY Award-winning and Platinum artist Lenny Kravitz, harkening in a new era of the NBA on NBC.
Sunday Night Basketball is here! Knicks vs. Lakers at Madison Square Garden followed by defending champion Thunder vs. Nuggets tips off NBC Sports' premier NBA package this Sunday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, @peacock, and @Telemundo
More: https://t.co/KVHCIrd8e0 pic.twitter.com/pn5Mt9P58I
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) January 28, 2026
NBC Sports announced last week that Bob Costas – its famed sports broadcaster for nearly four decades – is returning to the company for its upcoming baseball coverage and will contribute to its pre-game coverage of Lakers-Knicks on Sunday night. Costas was a host and play-by-play voice during all 12 seasons of NBC Sports’ NBA coverage from 1990-2002 and worked numerous high-profile events at Madison Square Garden, including the 1994 and 1999 NBA Finals.
Basketball Night in America
Sunday also sees the debut of Basketball Night in America, NBC Sports’ weekly on-site NBA studio show dedicated to bringing viewers closer to the action, on NBC and Peacock at 6 p.m. ET. Hosted by NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor alongside Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady, BNIA will be at a different NBA arena each week.
As previously announced earlier this week, WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark will join BNIA as a special contributor beginning this Sunday ahead of Lakers-Knicks. The NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer will reprise her role on March 29 ahead of Knicks-Thunder in Oklahoma City.
Additionally, TODAY co-anchor Craig Melvin and NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas will both be part of the pregame show, with Mike Tirico set to interview the two of them. Melvin will host Olympic Late Night live from Milan from Feb. 7-9 as part of his “Legendary February” assignment.
During the inaugural show, Taylor, Anthony, Carter, and McGrady will also announce the 2026 NBA All-Star Game reserves for both conferences (seven each) and break down the 14 selected players. Taylor, Anthony, Carter, and McGrady previously announced the All-Star Game starters for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference on Martin Luther King Jr. Day earlier this month. The trio has 25 All-Star Game appearances between them.
Lakers-Knicks
Sunday Night Basketball opens with four-time NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP LeBron James, arguably the best player of his generation, NBA leading scorer Luka Dončić, and the Los Angeles Lakers (28-17) visiting Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks (28-18) from famed Madison Square Garden in New York City on Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo.
“I’m honored to be on the debut call for Sunday Night Basketball, and what better way to kick it off than to have a good ole fashion East vs. West showdown between the Knicks and Lakers,” said NBC Sports NBA analyst and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller. “Can’t wait to bring you all the action every Sunday along with the fabulous Mike Tirico and Hall of Famer-in-waiting Jamal Crawford.”
Dončić was named an All-Star starter for the fifth time in his career and sixth overall, receiving the most fan votes among all NBA players, regardless of conference. Dončić is now only the 15th player in NBA history to earn his sixth All-Star selection before age 27. James, a 21-time NBA All-Star, is coming off a January that saw him average nearly 25 points per game to go along with 7.3 rebounds and 6.9 assists.
The Knicks, coming off a season that saw them advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, have won three consecutive games against Sacramento, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn. Brunson, who was named an All-Star starter for the second year in a row, scored a team-high 28 points to lead the Knicks over the Kings at home on Tuesday.
This will be the first Sunday NBA game on NBC since June 9, 2002 – Game 3 of the 2002 NBA Finals in which Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and the Lakers defeated Jason Kidd and the Nets, 106-103.
NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller and three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford (analyst), who played for the Knicks from 2004-2008, and Zora Stephenson (courtside reporter) will call Lakers-Knicks.
Telemundo will provide on-site coverage with Álvaro Martín (play-by-play), NBA veteran and Venezuelan national team standout Greivis Vásquez (analyst), and renowned international sports analyst Diego Balado calling Lakers-Knicks in Spanish-language.
Additionally, Miller will make his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this Thursday, Jan. 29, at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, to discuss the opening night of Sunday Night Basketball.
Thunder-Nuggets
In the second game of the night, reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (38-10) visit 2023 NBA champion Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets (31-16) in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Semifinals from Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., at 9:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo.
“NBC has made Sunday night synonymous with sports excellence,” said NBC Sports NBA play-by-play voice Noah Eagle. “It is a pleasure to be a part of the first Sunday night with the NBA on NBC. It should be a phenomenal backdrop in Denver with an outstanding crowd for a high-level Western Conference matchup.”
The Thunder sit atop the Western Conference with an NBA-best 17-5 record on the road. Winners of seven of their last 10 games, Gilgeous-Alexander ranks second in the NBA in scoring with 32.0 points per game and has scored 20+ points in 118 consecutive games, the second-longest such streak in NBA history behind Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (126 games, 1961-1963). The Thunder were also featured on NBC’s presentation of Opening Night on Oct. 21, the first NBA game on NBC since 2002.
The Nuggets rank third in the West and have remained one of the conference’s best teams, thanks in large part to the play of point guard Jamal Murray, who, in the month-long absence of three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić due to injury, has played at an All-Star-level. Averaging nearly 30 points per game and 8.8 assists per game (both career-highs) in the month of January, Murray has led Denver to crucial wins over Boston and Dallas, among others. Jokić could possibly return for Sunday night’s game.
NBC Sports’ Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Grant Hill (analyst), and Ashley ShahAhmadi (courtside reporter) will call Thunder-Nuggets.
Telemundo’s Diego Arrioja will serve as Spanish-language courtside reporter, with Jose Francisco (play-by-play) and Vero Rodriguez (analyst) calling the game from Telemundo Center in Miami, Fla.
NBC Sports’ coverage of the NBA is led by coordinating producer Frank DiGraci and director Pierre Moossa. Sam Flood is Executive Producer & President, NBC Sports Production.
Basketball Night in America precedes every Sunday Night Basketball NBA game on NBC and Peacock. The coordinating producer of Basketball Night in America is Adam Littlefield. Basketball Night in America is directed by Jared Sumner.
