Disaster Averted: Amazon Has Stepped Up And Officially Signs Kevin Harlan To Call Their NBA Games

Andrew D. Bernstein. Getty Images.

With the NBA officially leaving TNT, a lot of the reaction to that decision was around Inside The NBA and what the hell was going to happen to that show. Eventually, we learned that they would be keeping the band together and just doing the show on ESPN/ABC and that nothing would change with the actual product, but I'm still skeptical. I'll believe it when I see it given how awful ESPN's NBA programming is.

But another aspect of the departure that didn't get nearly enough publicity was the future of Kevin Harlan calling NBA games. Would he go to ESPN? NBC? As these networks put out their broadcast teams, he was nowhere to be found, and I think it goes without saying that having an NBA season and not having Kevin Harlan involved would be a complete disaster.

Fortunately, we don't have to worry about that. Jeff Bezos stepped up and broke off a chunk of that sweet, sweet Amazon money and locked Harlan up to call games on Amazon Prime Video

The iconic basketball broadcaster has signed with Amazon Prime Video to call NBA games beginning later this year, sources briefed on the move told The Athletic. The deal was signed in May and is believed to be three years.

Harlan joins the streamer after calling the NBA for Turner Sports from 1996 to 2025. The broadcaster was on the mic for Turner’s last-ever NBA broadcast on May 31 , as the company concluded its coverage of the Pacers-Knicks series. There have been many reports, including from the The Athletic, that Harlan was headed to Amazon Prime Video.

Now, pen has been put to paper.

In addition, Amazon Prime Video has added Brent Barry as a game analyst to its coverage. Barry has unique experience as a player (he played for the Clippers, Bulls, Heat, Spurs and Rockets over 14 years), broadcaster (for Turner Sports and NBA TV) and member of the front office (with the Spurs). This year, he served as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns.

Hell yeah! I also don't mind the Brent Barry, Eric Collins, Michael Grady and Dell Curry addition as well, and all of a sudden, Amazon has put together a pretty solid basketball roster between Ian Eagle, Blake Griffin, Steve Nash, Dirk, Candace Parker, Stan Van Gundy, Wade, Cassidy Hubbart and Taylor Rooks etc. I'm not crazy about now having to move to the Amazon app on my TV to watch these games, mostly because I'm an old and like to move around during commercials, which will now require opening up an entirely different app. The whole thing is going to annoy me, I just know it.

(side note, but how does this impact League Pass? Will Amazon games be available on League pass?)

NBC's roster is pretty legit as well, so I'm willing to give this new TV deal a shot

As annoying as the technology side to all of this will be, at the end of the day I'll do it so I can have Kevin Harlan in my life during the NBA season. Outside of Mike Gorman, I consider Harlan the GOAT on the mic. Some may give the nod to Mike Breen, but personally I think Harlan has the slight edge. While the Breen "BANG!" is certainly iconic, for my money, the Harlan "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD" is something you feel in your soul when it happens

When you get that call, and it happens against your favorite team? I feel like it hurts more than the Mike Breen "BANG!" or even the double Bang. Something about Harlan's voice when he unleashes it, especially for the game winners, is a cut above. 

When it happens in a moment that is beneficial to your favorite team? There's nothing better.

At the end of the day, I'm just glad Amazon stepped up and gave him the bag to bring him in. The league is too good right now not to have Harlan involved. Thankfully, we don't have to worry about that and between the network rosters and NBC also bringing back the nostalgia angle from their glory days, this might actually be the best thing to happen to the NBA's TV product, because lord knows it needs to improve.