Rumors

After a multi-week hiatus, NBC Sports is bringing back contributor Michael Jordan — and Bob Costas — for Tuesday’s NBA coverage. NBC Sports said Monday that it will premiere a new segment of its Michael Jordan-fronted “MJ: Insights to Excellence” series Tuesday night, the first since the second week of the season. It will be the third edition total of the series, which so far has consisted of portions of a sit-down interview Jordan conducted with NBC’s Mike Tirico. NBC did not mention the topic of conversation, except to say that it will feature Jordan “discussing his love for the game.”

Sports Media Watch

In addition to Jordan, NBC’s Tuesday broadcasts will feature opening teases voiced by longtime NBC Sports host Bob Costas. Like Jordan, Costas last contributed to NBC’s broadcasts in the second week of the season.

Sports Media Watch

So when NBC Sports announced last week that Chris Mannix is joining its NBA coverage as an insider with an emphasis on digital, it brought back memories here of Peter Vecsey’s opinionated and pioneering run as the network’s NBA insider during the 1990s heyday. Turns out that Mannix — a Quincy native and graduate of BC High and Boston College — has similar warm sentiments himself. “I’m incredibly excited,” Mannix said. “I grew up watching ‘The NBA on NBC.’ Those were my formative sports-watching years, and it wasn’t just about watching it, but appreciating the way they did it. “I was a fan of the Bob Costas monologues and Peter Vecsey on set, showing that a reporter [Vecsey wrote a must-read NBA column for the New York Post in the late 1970s and ’80s] could be in that role. He pulled no punches, which I loved. I thought they were the gold standard of how you broadcast basketball. I never thought I’d be a part of it, but I always dreamed of being a part of it.

Boston Globe

But when Flagg came up as the poster child for the NIL era in an interview between sports reporters Howard Bryant and Bob Costas this week at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Bryant blew that number out of the water. Bryant asked Costas whether he knew how much Flagg earned, then teased that he had the answer. “He had a $13 million deal with New Balance and then $15 million with Fanatics,” Bryant said.

Awful Announcing

Tarter will find out next week if he is a finalist to be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. He's been nominated by some elite former pro basketball players, including Julius Erving (Dr. J), and legendary sports broadcaster Bob Costas. "I was so surprised and stunned when I found out. I had no idea it was coming – or even that it was a possibility to imagine," said Tarter. "I’m still not sure I can get my arms around it."

Indianapolis Star

They had plenty of help. Dropping Dimes has an advisory board backed by big names in sports, media and basketball. Among them are Bob Costas, Reggie Miller, George McGinnis, Julius Erving, Myles Turner, Peter Vecsey and Bob Netolicky. "They all came together," Tarter said. "It was kind of a labor of love."

USA Today Sports

As of January 5, 2022, Wasserman COO Jason Ranne announced the acquisition of The Montag Group, a New York-based talent agency founded by Sandy Montag. The agency prides itself on representing a variety of talent in media and broadcasting, including the likes of NBC’s Bob Costas, TNT’s Kenny Smith, and ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt.

Sports Agent Blog

Wasserman, the global sports talent agency founded and led by entertainment and sports executive Casey Wasserman, is acquiring The Montag Group, home of many big name sports broadcasters including Bob Costas, James Brown and Jim Nantz. The deal combines Wasserman, which represents top athletes like the National Basketball Association’s Russell Westbrook and Major League Baseball’s Giancarlo Stanton, with the firm founded by Sandy Montag, the longtime agent of late football coach and broadcaster John Madden.

Wall Street Journal

Dropping Dimes has done sophisticated calculations. If the NBA agreed to help the 108 remaining ABA players with the minimum $400 a month, it would cost the NBA $1.8 million a year. "The bottom line is the amount of money it would take to fully fund reasonable pensions, not exorbitant pensions," said Bob Costas, "is a relative pittance." One year's salary for the 12th guy on the bench of an NBA team could fund all of it. And, by attrition, that amount is only dwindling, said Costas, who is a board member of Dropping Dimes and got his start in broadcasting calling radio play-by-play for the ABA’s Spirits of St. Louis.

USA Today Sports

“I continue to believe that the people-to-people exchanges we’re seeing in China are positive, and it’s helping,” Silver told CNN’s Bob Costas on Tuesday. “It helps cultures learn about each other.” Silver asserted that previous American administrations had encouraged the NBA to enter China as a way to “promote American values.”

National Review

Marc Stein: NBA commissioner Adam Silver tells Bob Costas on @CNN that his “best guess” is that next season will begin in January at the earliest

Twitter

Mark Medina: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on CNN to Bob Costas about the NBA bubble: "It's working out so far. But my favorite emoji has been the 'fingers crossed' one."

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Bob Costas, former play-by-play announcer, the Spirits of St. Louis: Terry did a really good job of talking to the right people, selecting the quotes, organizing them, and presenting a real sense of how weird, wonderful, funny, dopey that whole spectrum that the ABA was, and how it was maybe the last sports league that has any elements of legend about it because most of the stories are word of mouth. Some people saw the same thing in different ways with different perspectives, whereas now everything’s documented.

The Athletic

Vincent Goodwill: Bob Costas on ESPN now: “I was with Isiah for the 97-98 season (with NBC). Whatever his feelings were, he completely fair and honest…no backhanded compliments, always recognized him as the greatest player of all time."

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