The nostalgia celebration of the NBA on NBC roots took a comedic turn Tuesday night during a special throwback broadcast of the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers. Legendary play-by-play announcer Bob Costas, reunited with analysts Doug Collins and Mike Fratello. While it provided a wave of nostalgia, what Costas nor us expected was an accidental, NSFW slip of the tongue that immediately went viral.

While praising broadcasting icons Dick Enberg and former NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol, Costas found himself in a linguistic trap that he realized far too late. “Two great Dicks…” He referred to both of them on air.

On a night throwback is the theme, hindsight was an instant 20-20. He instantly realized the gaffe and joked, “someone’s going to cut that off and it’s not going to sound right.”

Realizing the clip was destined for social media, he quickly attempted to pivot, adding, “It’s not going to sound right. Two great ‘Richards,’ known as ‘Dick,’ with the last name beginning with an E. Two D.E.’s… thank you whoever edits that out.”

He seemed to forget that NBC’s throwback broadcast was live. And it made it on the Internet anyway to reinforce just why we love Bob.

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Costas has the knack to turn some questionable moments on live broadcasts into epic stories in sports history. Long-time viewers may recall his 2014 Olympic “pink eye” saga, where he had a shot of vodka on air to “kill the bacteria.” He also went on a hilariously dry rant about Oedipus during the 2004 Athens Olympics. The MLB archive has even more questionable Bob Costas gaffes.

Despite the frantic correction, the moment became the highlight of NBA on NBC’s broadcast designed to celebrate the network’s storied history with the league.

NBC commits to more retro NBA themes

Tuesday night’s Coast 2 Coast spotlight game featured the iconic “Roundball Rock” theme and 1990s-style graphics. However, it was the legendary Bob Costas’ candid style that reminded fans why he remains one of the most beloved and occasionally unfiltered voices in sports media. He was back on play-by-play duty together with Doug Collins and Mike Fratello.

The NSFW blooper added a layer of levity to what was a meticulously crafted tribute to the 1990-2002 era of NBA coverage when NBC was part of it. Beyond the booth, the production featured Hannah Storm as studio host and appearances by Isiah Thomas and PJ Carlesimo, a near-perfect recreation of the “NBA Showtime” vibe that defined a generation.

NBC executive producer Sam Flood confirmed that this retro format is here to stay, stating, “This will not be a one-and-done. We plan to do this in future years.”

The network’s return to the NBA as part of the new media rights deal has allowed them to lean into their gold standard heritage while integrating modern stars like Storm with Costas’ wit. We’ll be getting more of NBC’s throwback vibes in upcoming broadcasts.