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Great news for sports TV viewers who enjoyed NBC’s “Throwback” NBA coverage Tuesday night: The network is already eyeing an encore. “We hope to make it an annual event,” an NBC spokesman told Front Office Sports Wednesday morning after social media lit up with praise for Tuesday’s nostalgic telecast.
There were familiar callbacks to NBC’s hoops coverage from the 1995-96 season, including old-time graphics packages, score bugs, stats, and replay wipes. ’90s flashbacks weaved throughout the telecast and there were even retro red mics, Yahoo Sports noted. The 73-year-old Costas, 74-year-old Collins, and 79-year-old Fratello looked like they’d never been away. As Costas told viewers in his courtside opening: “Think of it as sort of like Crosby, Stills, and Nash… but not Young.” Overall, NBC’s throwback idea was a big hit with hoop fans and journalists.
ROUNDBALL ROCK INTO BOB COSTAS CALLING PLAY-BY-PLAY! Feels like the old days. 👏
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) March 4, 2026
📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/ytp6YVbSup
Bob Costas, Doug Collins and Mike Fratello never all called a game together when they were teammates at NBC a quarter-century ago. That'll change on Tuesday — in a throwback night for the network's NBA coverage. NBC has announced plans for Costas, Collins and Fratello to handle the courtside duties Tuesday when Victor Wembanyama — who wasn't even born when that trio was involved in NBC's NBA coverage in the early 2000s — and the San Antonio Spurs take on Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Also coming back from the past: the studio team. Hannah Storm, Isiah Thomas and P.J. Carlesimo will handle a throwback version of “NBA Showtime” starting at 7 p.m. Eastern, an hour before the game broadcast.
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“A free spirit and a person who loved his life,” recalled former Bulls coach Doug Collins, who was hired just before Jawann Oldham’s eventual trade to the New York Knicks to join fellow centers Bill Cartwright and Patrick Ewing. “Incredible, maybe the most balanced seven-foot guy I’ve ever seen,” recalled Cartwright, who later was traded to the Bulls to complete their championship puzzle. “He could do handstands at 7-1. His upper body as so strong; not muscular, but strong. Also probably one of the best big athletes I’ve seen the way he could run and jump.
Near the north side of Illinois State’s basketball arena is a statue of a coach kneeling as a player stands behind him with his hand on the coach’s shoulder. The coach is Will Robinson, the first African American head basketball coach in NCAA Division I history. The player is former Illinois State star guard Doug Collins, who is also a Basketball Hall of Famer. “They paid to have a statue built in front of our arena at Illinois State,” Collins said at the Hall of Fame news conference at the Mohegan Sun on Saturday. “It was Coach Robinson kneeling down with my hand on his shoulder. And I always tell people, ‘That’s not a basketball story.’ That’s a white kid from Benton, Illinois, being with this Black man from Detroit and them coming together creating a Division I program they could leave. “It was a love story. My hand on my shoulder, to me, was saying, ‘Coach, I trust you and I believe in you.’ And I think it’s harder and harder to get those relationships these days because a coach’s voice is way down the ladder in terms of who these guys are listening to. He said, ‘Wherever your voice hits a young man’s life will determine how you will be able to help.”
Collins also was the No. 1 pick in the 1973 NBA draft out of Illinois State, a three-time All-American and played on the 1972 Olympic basketball team member. He holds Illinois State records in career scoring (2,240), season scoring (847), career field goals made (894), and season field goals made (352). The floor at Illinois State’s CEFCU Arena was renamed “Doug Collins Court” in 2007. He was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. And 15 years after the statue was unveiled, Collins credited Robinson for much of his success. “I went to play in college for the first Black coach in Division I basketball, and I grew up in an all-white community and Coach Robinson was from Detroit. Coach Rob, I fell in love with him and he helped me toughness and gave me great wisdom,” Collins said.
Barry Jackson: At the Basketball Hall of Fame inductions on Sunday, Oct. 13 this year, Heat president Pat Riley will be among 11 presenters for the great Jerry West (who died in June) and five five presenters for former Lakers guard Michael Cooper. West is being inducted as a contributor after being inducted as a player in 1980. Former Heat partner Billy Cunningham will be among 3 presenters for Doug Collins.
KC Johnson: Bulls Chairman and fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Reinsdorf on Doug Collins’ induction.
Bulls Chairman and fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Reinsdorf on Doug Collins’ induction. pic.twitter.com/CX3PIi7ZTQ
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 6, 2024
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On Saturday in Phoenix, the Basketball Hall of Fame announced Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups, Michael Cooper, Seimone Augustus, Jerry West, Herb Simon, Doug Collins, Bo Ryan, Walter Davis, Charles Smith, Dick Barnett, Harley Redin and Michele Timms will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in August.
Women’s Committee Finalists: Seimone Augustus, Marian Washington. Veteran Committee Finalists: Dick Barnett, Harley Redin. International Committee Finalist: Michele Timms. Contributors Committee Finalists: Doug Collins, Herb Simon, Jerry West
Del Harris on Peter Vecsey: I want to begin by saying I first met Peter almost 50 years ago when he brought a group of good players from New York City’s Rucker Park, including Tiny Archibald, to the Dominican Republic to play against the DR national team to help prepare them for the Central American Championships. I had contacts in the DR and they asked if Tom Nissalke and I could bring some Rockets during this off-season time to play as well. They paid money in DR pesos, but that is another story. It was a good thing to do for everyone and DR won the championship. That was all good. The Rockets were in receivership when Tom asked me to come there with him from the (ABA’s) Utah Stars. We had a great first year because we traded two future first-round picks (1977, ’78) for Moses Malone at the start of the season. He had been with us in the short time we were at the Stars. Getting what would become an all-time great was not the only boost — we drafted John Lucas in our first round, giving us a great feeder for the big guy and we had very good players who were excellent shooters all around with them. We lost in the 1977 Eastern Conference finals in six to Philadelphia with Dr. J (Julius Erving), George McGinnis, Bobby Jones, Doug Collins and others. Tom was named the 1977 NBA Coach of the Year.
Kwame Brown: “You had a coach in Doug Collins who didn’t believe in playing young players, and Michael didn’t either,” said Brown. “Michael’s last hoorah, he wanted to win a championship. He thought that if he could get to the playoffs, he could win a championship. I was meant to be traded. They wanted to trade me or Tyson Chandler to the Clippers for Elton Brand.”