From Michael Jordan to Mike Tirico and Roundball Rock, NBC showed the impact it will have on NBA games this season.

Maybe it was the nostalgia kicking in, but Tuesday felt bigger than usual for the NBA as it returned to NBC for the first time since 2002.

In an exclusive appearance Tuesday on NBC & Peacock, airing at halftime of Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets, Michael Jordan spoke with Mike Tirico about how he spends his time post-retirement, why he felt it was important to launch his “MJ: Insights To Excellence” series … and the unlikely time he felt pressure attempting a free throw.

1. After a 23-year hiatus, NBC gets back in the NBA business starting tonight with a doubleheader featuring the Thunder at the Rockets at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Warriors at the Lakers at 10 p.m. ET. NBC, which aired the NBA from 1990 to 2002, is entering Year 1 of an 11-year deal with the league.

The start of the new Golden State Warriors season was kicked behind the paywall of a streaming service, in what feels like a foreboding sign for NBC in its return to NBA coverage.

NBA legend Michael Jordan sat down with NBC's Mike Tirico for the first edition of his special segment "MJ: Insights To Excellence."

Fans tuning into the NBA this season will have to adjust their viewing habits to new networks and a seven-day-a-week national TV schedule.

The new NBC-Peacock deal replaces Warner Bros. Discovery's ( WBD) TNT after nearly 40 years, marking the return of NBC and the debut of Amazon ( AMZN) Prime Video alongside long-time partner Disney's ( DIS) ESPN and ABC.​

The 2025-26 season opens Tuesday with a doubleheader on NBC and Peacock — backed by the percussive theme song last heard in 2002, when NBC last had broadcast rights.