Amazon Prime Video is closing in on a deal to make Kevin Harlan its No. 2 NBA play-by-player when it begins coverage of the league later this year, sources briefed on the discussion told The Athletic.
With the expected addition of Harlan, Amazon will have a one-two play-by-play punch of Ian Eagle and Harlan. Amazon and Eagle are already in agreement for him to call the top games. Amazon has also already announced its studio shows will include host Taylor Rooks and analysts Dirk Nowitzki and Blake Griffin.
Amazon declined to comment on Harlan on Tuesday.
As for Eagle’s and Harlan’s partners, Amazon is still in search of analysts. The streamer has had talks with Dwyane Wade about a hybrid role for in-studio and game coverage. Stan Van Gundy, who is at TNT, and Richard Jefferson, who is at ESPN, have also been on Amazon’s radar.
Harlan, 64, has been a rock of NBA coverage for TNT Sports for decades. After Marv Albert retired, TNT never officially anointed Harlan as Albert’s successor, but his assignments were slightly better than Brian Anderson’s. Anderson is also TNT Sports’ lead MLB play-by-player.
Harlan, like Eagle, is expected to continue with his NFL and college basketball duties for CBS. Harlan also is the radio voice for “Monday Night Football” and the Super Bowl for Westwood One.
TNT Sports is in the final season as an NBA rights holder. Next season, the packages of games will be divided between incumbent ESPN/ABC, Amazon Prime Video and NBC/Peacock. NBC and Peacock are expected to have Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as their top two game callers. NBC has held discussions with TNT’s Reggie Miller about calling games.
ESPN, meanwhile, is determining if it will add a third person to its current NBA Finals duo of Mike Breen and Doris Burke. Jefferson has been considered a tiny favorite, but according to sources briefed on ESPN’s thinking, Tim Legler also has some support.
ESPN has also not extinguished the idea of adding Grant Hill at some point. Hill works for TNT/NBA TV and is one of Eagle’s partners, along with Bill Raftery, as the voices of the Final Four.
(Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein / NBAE via Getty Images)
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