Behind The Mic: Hubie Brown to Call Final NBA Game on Feb. 9; Snoop Dogg to Host NFL Honors

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, Prime Video announces NBA coverage team additions; Katie Nolan to launch “Casuals” podcast on SiriusXM; and more.

Snoop Dogg to Host NFL Honors Presented by Invisalign

Snoop Dogg, multi-platinum rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, DJ, media personality, businessman and icon, will host NFL Honors presented by Invisalign, an Align Technology brand, on Thursday, Feb. 6 at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans.  The primetime awards special recognizing the NFL’s best players, performances and plays from the 2024 season will air live at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT on FOX and NFL Network and stream on NFL+. The program will not air live in all time zones.

An entertainment industry mogul, Snoop Dogg has reigned for nearly three decades as an unparalleled force, consistently raising the bar as a globally recognized innovator.  Over the course of his storied music career, Snoop Dogg has released 21 studio albums, sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, reached #1 countless times on Billboard charts internationally and received 20 Grammy Award nominations.  He recently served as a coach on NBC’s four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series “The Voice.”

As a philanthropist, Snoop Dogg launched the Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL) 17 years ago that has since seen more than 40 kids make it to the NFL. As part of the SYFL, Snoop Special Stars ensures that kids with any physical, mental or developmental disabilities also participate.

NFL Honors debuted in 2012 and features the announcement of awards, such as The Associated Press’ annual accolades, the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year presented by Nationwide and the newest Pro Football Hall of Fame Class the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

The awards announced at NFL Honors presented by Invisalign include:

AP Most Valuable Player presented by Invisalign AP Coach of the Year
AP Comeback Player of the Year AP Offensive Player of the Year presented by Microsoft Surface
AP Defensive Player of the Year presented by TCL AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year powered by AWS
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year presented by Nationwide NFL Inspire Change Tribute
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Year
Salute to Service Award presented by USAA NFL Latino Youth Honors presented by P&G
Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award Deacon Jones Sack Leader Award
AP Assistant Coach of the Year NFL Fan of the Year presented by Captain Morgan
NFL FLAG Players of the Year award presented by Toyota

On Thursday, Feb. 6, NFL Honors Red Carpet Show presented by Invisalign airs at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network leading up to NFL Honors.  Local blackout restrictions may apply.

Further details regarding this year’s NFL Honors presented by Invisalign will be announced at a later date.

NFL Honors is an NFL Network production in association with Rock Garden Media. For more information about NFL Honors presented by Invisalign, fans may visit www.nfl.com/honors and follow the #NFLHonors conversation on X.

FOX will present Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025.

Prime Video Announces Taylor Rooks, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki to Join Inaugural Season of NBA Coverage

Prime Video announces that acclaimed sports journalist Taylor Rooks will host its new NBA studio show, with NBA legends Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki to serve as studio analysts, bringing their expertise and insider perspectives to the inaugural season of Prime Video’s NBA coverage, set to debut in October 2025. Further details about the upcoming season of the NBA on Prime Video, including additional on-air talent and production elements, will be announced in the coming months.

Rooks has established herself as one of the most respected and versatile voices in sports media and will bring a fresh and authentic perspective as the host of Prime Video’s NBA pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage. She currently serves as a feature reporter for Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football and is a host and reporter at Bleacher Report and TNT Sports.

“I’m thrilled to continue to grow my role at Prime Video and help shape their NBA coverage from the ground up,” Rooks says. “With the addition of legends like Dirk and Blake, we’re not just building a show, we are crafting an experience that will be entertaining and truly special for basketball fans. This is a career milestone for me and I’m incredibly excited to share my love and passion for this game with NBA fans all over the world.”

Nowitzki will bring his unique perspective and deep basketball knowledge to Prime Video’s NBA coverage as an analyst. A 14-time All-Star, 2007 NBA MVP, and 2011 NBA Finals MVP, Nowitzki is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in basketball history. During his 21-season career with the Dallas Mavericks, he became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and the first European-born player to surpass 30,000 career points. He led the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA championship in 2011, was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team and retired as the sixth-highest scorer in NBA history. In 2023, he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

“I am excited to join the Amazon family and honored to be a part of its NBA coverage,” Nowitzki says. “I have always wanted to remain close to the game that I love and building something new alongside this talented crew is an experience I look forward to. I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity and cannot wait to get started.”

Griffin, who will also be joining Prime Video as an analyst, was the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and earned NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2011. A six-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, Griffin became one of the league’s most dominant forwards during his time with the Los Angeles Clippers. Griffin’s honors include winning the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, where his iconic dunk over a car captivated audiences worldwide. Throughout his career with the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics, Griffin accumulated over 14,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, and 3,000 assists, showcasing his versatility as both a scorer and playmaker.

“I’m unbelievably excited to join the Amazon family,” Griffin says. “Basketball has obviously been a huge part of my life, and I consider myself a true fan of the game. I’m excited for a new opportunity to share some of what I have learned over the years with other NBA fans. I have been incredibly impressed with Amazon’s NFL programming for Thursday Night Football, and my conversations with the team around the NBA partnership have been equally inspiring. I’m honored to be a part of this launch and a new era for Prime Video sports.”

“We are thrilled to have Taylor, Dirk, and Blake on board as the foundation for our NBA studio coverage,” says Jared Stacy, Global Head of Production at Amazon. “Together they bring a mix of credibility, charisma, and unique insight on the game that will inform and entertain NBA fans starting this fall. Taylor is one of the most well respected and thoughtful people working in NBA media today, while Blake and Dirk are legends of the game ready to share their insightful analysis and sense of humor with NBA fans.”

Prime Video’s 11-year global agreement with the NBA was announced in July 2024, marking a significant expansion of the streaming service’s live sports offerings. The new studio show, to be based in Culver City, Calif. on the Amazon MGM Studios lot, will complement Prime Video’s game broadcasts, providing fans with comprehensive live NBA coverage all season long.

Beginning with the 2025-26 season, Prime Video will present exclusive global coverage of 66 regular-season NBA games, including an opening week doubleheader, a new Black Friday NBA game, and all games from the Knockout Rounds of the Emirates NBA Cup, including the in-season tournament’s Semifinals and Finals.

Katie Nolan to Launch New SiriusXM Podcast, “Casuals”

Emmy-winning host and “opinionist” Katie Nolan is back at the mic with a new SiriusXM podcast, “Casuals,” a series for fans that want to talk sports without feeling like they need to be an expert. “Casuals” will cover the wide world of sports and everything it touches, especially the stories that bridge sports and pop culture, without getting into the analytics and X’s and O’s talk that can feel like homework for many casual fans.

Starting January 21, “Casuals” will debut two episodes hosted by Nolan each week. The Tuesday edition will feature Katie reacting to the most newsworthy sports moments of the week, highlighting the notable performances on the field and the storylines surrounding the athletes off it. On Thursdays, Katie will be joined by different guests from sports, comedy and entertainment to better understand their sports fandom, however big or small, and to dive into the trending topics within their world.

Episodes of “Casuals” will be available on the SiriusXM app and all major podcast platforms. Listen to the trailer for “Casuals” here.

“I find that sports shows tend to talk about sports in a very specific way — stats, power rankings, gambling odds — while pop culture shows rarely talk about them at all,” says Nolan. “With ‘Casuals,’ I hope to bridge that gap a little, talking with some of the funniest people I know about sports in a way that feels more welcoming to the casual fan. I want to help more people connect with sports, and I’m excited that SiriusXM does, too.”

“Katie is a uniquely versatile talent, equally informed and entertaining on sports and pop culture,” says Eric Spitz, Vice President, Sports Programming for SiriusXM. “There is nobody better to host a podcast like this one, which is perfect for those casual fans who want to talk about the bigger storylines that touch sports, without needing to know about passer ratings or pitching rotations.”

A dynamic and singular talent, Nolan is known for her sharp, irreverent, and highly knowledgeable voice in sports, culture and beyond. Most recently, Katie was a standout contestant on Celebrity Jeopardy!, where she earned a spot in the finals. She also co-hosted the limited series podcast “91st Minute” about the 2023 Women’s World Cup for Just Women’s Sports. Previously, Katie served as a commentator in the booth for Friday Night Baseball for Apple TV+, and worked as a correspondent for NBC Sports during the 2022 Winter Olympics, appearing across all NBC Sports platforms and The TODAY Show. From 2017-2021, Nolan was at ESPN, serving as a television, streaming and podcast host across various programs and platforms, including her own weekly sports comedy show, “Always Late with Katie Nolan.” Before joining ESPN, she was at Fox Sports 1, where her show “Garbage Time with Katie Nolan” won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Social TV Experience. In addition, Nolan hosted “NFL Films Presents,” provided content for FoxSports.com and was one of the original hosts on “Crowd Goes Wild” alongside Regis Philbin.

ESPN Re-Signs NFL Draft Analyst Jordan Reid

ESPN has re-signed NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid to a new contract where he will continue to serve as a valuable member of ESPN’s year-round NFL draft team.

Throughout the year, Reid’s analysis and scouting will continue to be found primarily on ESPN.com and ESPN+. During NFL draft season, Reid will make appearances across ESPN studio shows while also contributing to ESPN’s on-site NFL draft coverage. Fans will continue to find Reid’s work in the form of NFL draft prospect rankings, position rankings, mock drafts and 2024 NFL rookie rankings, among other things.

Before joining ESPN in the fall of 2021, Reid previously served as a writer and scout for The Draft Network. Prior to his shift to media in 2019, Reid served as a football coach at his alma mater, North Carolina Central University, from 2014-18, helping the Eagles win three MEAC titles. His move to coaching followed his playing career at the school (2010-13), where he started for three seasons at quarterback and achieved the school record for completion percentage.

Reid will once again join the network’s industry-leading NFL draft voices in Mel Kiper Jr., Field Yates and Matt Miller. Details on ESPN’s coverage of the 2025 NFL Draft will become available in late March on ESPN Press Room.

Legendary Hubie Brown to Call Final NBA Game February 9 on ABC

Hubie Brown, the legendary basketball coach and broadcaster, will call the final NBA game of his storied career on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at 2 p.m. ET on ABC. Brown will return to Milwaukee, Wis. where he began his professional coaching career as the assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972. The two-time NBA Coach of the Year will serve as broadcast analyst one final time as the Bucks host the Philadelphia 76ers. Mike Breen, a fellow Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame commentator, will provide play-by-play alongside his longtime colleague. The duo called the 2006 NBA Finals on ABC together.

During the broadcast, ESPN and the NBA will honor and celebrate Brown’s history-making career, which includes 50 years in the NBA and 35 years as a national television and radio analyst. More details about the special broadcast will be announced in the coming weeks.

Brown has been a cornerstone of ESPN’s NBA coverage since joining the organization in 2004. He has been inducted to several Halls of Fame for both coaching and broadcasting, including the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the College Basketball Hall of Fame, the National Sports Media Hall of Fame and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

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