NBA on NBC promos contains AI voice of Jim Fagan, who died in 2017
NBC makes a ride driven by nostalgia to the hoop to praise the return of the NBA in the autumn of 2025 after more than two decades to its air waves.
In the final step, NBC Sports announced that it will use a voice generated by AI from former narrator Jim Fagan, who died in 2017 at the age of 72, for the NBA coverage and promotion when the new 11-year-old NBA Media Rights Deal starts in October. The network said it used the AI technology with the participation of the Fagan family.
The voice of Fagan was “synonymous with the acclaimed reporting of NBC Sports of the NBA of 1990-2002,” said the Omroep. “His masterful narrative provided unparalleled excitement for the biggest matchups and stars of the competition, including Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon and much more.”
NBC Sports has released a short clip with AI-generated voice from Fagan:
Related: NBC pushes basketball to viewers months prior to the start of the NBA deal
Last week NBC officially announced in a new return to its NBA days from the past John Tesh’s “Roundball Rock”, The theme of the NBA coverage of the 1990-2002 network will return. It was broadcast a promo for “Roundball Rock” during the coverage of NBC’s Kentucky Derby.
NBC Sports will use AI Voice Synthesis Technology to re-create Fagan’s voice for selected title sequences, display and display promos for the upcoming NBA coverage. It added that the voice of Fagan generated by AI will “traditionally voice-over work will supplement other artists who are hired by NBC Sports.”
It is not the first time that the broadcaster has used an AI-generated voice: for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, NBC re-made the voice of the sports rounder with artificial intelligence technology for the “Your Daily Olympic summary” on Peacock.
“For many basketball fans, Jim’s unique and recognizable voice immediately evokes a deep feeling of nostalgia for a special time in the NBA history,” said NBC Sports President Rick Cordella. “His voice has perfectly recorded the size of the heavyweight matchups and stars that he introduced. It was a pleasure to work with Jim’s family to recreate his voice and honor his legacy. I am excited that we can introduce his voice to a whole new generation of fans.”
Jim’s daughters Jana Silvia Joyce and Risa Silvia -Koonin, in a statement from the network, said: “We are deeply grateful that NBC Sports had the vision of honoring our father’s inheritance in such a meaningful way. He has taken a great pride in his work. Fans will experience it – is incredibly special to our family.
Fagan grew up in Windber, Pennsylvania, a city minute city where his mother was a teacher and his father a miner, according to NBC Sports. He earned a football fair on West Virginia University, a school that he continued to support enthusiastically all his life. “His passion for acting led him to a prominent voice -over career, also at NBC Sports, where he became a prominent storyteller for many of his programs, especially the NBA,” the network said.
In July 2024, NBCU announced a media rights with the NBA, of which the media company is supposed to spend more than $ 2.4 billion a year during the 11-year period. NBCU has rights to 100 games in the regular season; the NBA All-Star Game; And a group of exclusive play-off games in the first round. WNBA games will also be part of the package.
Peacock will present exclusive National NBA matches live stream on Monday evening, while NBC and Peacock will present the national reporting on regional double headers on Tuesday evening. NBC Sports launches “Sunday Night Basketball” in 2026 in NBC and Peacock.
NBC Sports has previously announced that Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller participate in NBA reporting such as game analysts, Carmelo Anthony as a studio analyst, and Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle will serve as Play-by-Play broadcaster. Frank Digraci was announced in December 2024 as the coordinating producer for the NBA coverage of NBC Sports.
