After what will have been a nearly decade-long absence, Mike Tirico is set to return to NBA play-by-play — and in a leading role.

NBC plans to use Tirico as its top NBA announcer when its coverage begins in the 2025-26 season, NBC Sports president Rick Cordella told Richard Deitsch of The Athletic Wednesday, marking his return to NBA broadcasting after nearly ten years. Tirico called NBA games for ESPN/ABC from 2002 through 2016, when he joined NBC. During that tenure, he primarily served as the “B” play-by-play voice alongside Hubie Brown, with his final regular season broadcast being Kobe Bryant’s final game in 2016.

He also briefly served as ABC’s lead NBA studio host from 2003-05 and also called occasional NBA Finals for ESPN Radio.

Tirico is also the lead voice of NFL games on NBC, and that will no doubt take precedence over early season NBA. While NBC will air Tuesday night games all season — plus Monday night games on Peacock — it is likely that Tirico will not begin a full NBA schedule until NBC’s “Sunday Night Basketball” slate begins following the NFL season. Having him as the lead voice of both Sunday night packages would create easy continuity.

During NBC’s previous run carrying NBA games, Marv Albert served as the lead voice from 1990-97 and again from 2001-02. Bob Costas served as the lead voice in the intervening years, filling the vacancy left after Albert’s 1997 arrest and firing. When NBC first acquired its original NBA package, the network planned to have Albert and Dick Enberg alternate seasons as the lead play-by-play voice.

In its new iteration, NBC Sports’ NBA coverage could feature as many as five games a week — a Peacock Monday doubleheader, NBC’s two Tuesday night games, and the Sunday night window — likely necessitating a deep bench. It is likely that NBC will also use Noah Eagle, who will serve as its lead Olympic basketball voice this year.