LOS ANGELES — Once, they were the ones making highlight plays. Now, they are the ones about to make everybody feel like every play is a highlight.
After years of living the highs and heartbreaks of the NBA, Steve Nash, Blake Griffin, John Wall, and Udonis Haslem have found another way to stay close to basketball, this time behind the mic.
The four join NBA on Prime, Amazon Prime Video’s new take on basketball coverage, where familiar faces are swapping jerseys for headsets.
They’ll share the stage with Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Candace Parker, Ian Eagle, and Taylor Rooks - a lineup that sounds more like a dream pickup game than a studio roster.
The group made things official this week with the launch of the NBA on Prime Studio at Amazon MGM Studios in Culver City, California, a new home for voices that know the game from every angle.
Prime-d for broadcast greatness
For Wall, who recently closed an 11-year playing career, the shift feels refreshingly familiar.
“I treat it with great excitement, like coming in on my rookie year in the NBA, it’s a new phase of my career. When one window closes, you’ve got to look for what’s next,” he told SPIN.ph.
“I get to stay close and not be too far and be able to speak my knowledge and share my IQ to a new world.”
Nash, who’s seen the game from both perspectives as point guard and head coach, is looking forward to exploring yet another aspect to it all.
“This is exciting for me, being able to reach new audiences, adding new perspective to the game, and enjoying time with my teammates here on Prime. We have a great chemistry before even starting the show,” he said.
NBA on Prime Video begins its run on October 25 at 7:30 a.m., Philippine time, opening with the Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers, a pair of games that marks a new chapter for how fans can tune in.
Griffin, for his part, said it’s not about reinventing basketball; it’s about keeping it connected on a larger scale.
“There is nothing better than sitting with the likes of Dirk, Steve, John, UD, Candace to talk basketball with basketball players. I appreciate how Amazon is giving people new tech to watch the games, for finding things that will help educate fans and grow the game,” he said.
Indeed, Prime Video has added new features to the viewing experience: Rapid Recap, a quick look back at both teams’ past games; Integrated Statistics, an option that shows live stats beside the screen; and Multiview, where different games can be played simultaneously on one screen.
The heart of it, however, comes from the people who’ve lived the grind.
Just ask Haslem, the 20-year vet who spent two decades soaking up lessons from the sidelines before deciding to share them.
“I love it. I have an unlimited amount of knowledge on basketball, I’ve played for great coaches like Billy Donovan, Erik Spoelstra, Pat Riley, I have so much basketball knowledge and this is an opportunity now to share it,” he said.
Then, with the same humor that made him a locker-room legend in Miami, Haslem added:
“I honestly didn’t see it coming, but I’ve found myself complaining a lot at home, so might as well get paid complaining.”
The league has moved on without them on the floor, but for these greats, it’s not a bad view from the best seats in the house — mic in hand, watching the game continue to grow.
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