NBA Countdown
| NBA Countdown | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Starring |
Michelle Beadle Jalen Rose Chauncey Billups Tracy McGrady Michael Wilbon |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network |
ABC (2002–) ESPN (2012–) |
| Original release | December 25, 2002 – present |
NBA Countdown is a pregame show airing prior to each National Basketball Association (NBA) telecast on the American Broadcasting Company and ESPN.
NBA Countdown typically airs thirty minutes prior to games on ABC and ESPN. In 2006, the first and so far only one-hour edition of the pregame show aired, prior to Game 1 of the 2006 NBA Finals.
Unlike NBC's NBA studio show, which was known as NBA Showtime for the first ten years of its existence, ABC's studio has been without much consistency. It has gone through five names in five seasons, and several analysts in each season. For the 2006-2007 season, the pregame show will be known as NBA Sunday Countdown. Each season, the show has been sponsored by GMC, with exception of the Finals, where it is sponsored by Chevrolet. Mike Tirico hosted the pregame shows from ABC's first season with the NBA to the middle of the network's fourth with the league. On March 19, 2006, Tirico was replaced by ESPN's Dan Patrick, and was moved to the number two play-by-play team. Other hosts of the pregame show include regular substitute John Saunders.
(December 25, 2002 - June 15, 2003) Initially, ABC's NBA pregame show was known as NBA Shootaround, and shared virtually the same graphics and music as the ESPN pregame show of the same name. The program was hosted by Mike Tirico, with analysts Bill Walton and Tom Tolbert. Unlike most network pregame shows, Shootaround did not take place in a studio, and instead traveled to a different site each week (much like ESPN's College Gameday). Starting with Game 1 of the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals, Walton was replaced in the pregame show by Sean Elliott. Tolbert was dropped from the pregame show starting with Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Tirico and Elliott were joined by a guest analyst for each game of the Finals.
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