TNT’s $167.1 Billion Rival Eyeing Dwyane Wade With Tempting Offer Following Olympics’ Gig?

Is NBC building an on-air roster of NBA stars like TNT’s? Around the time the NBA media rights were still in contention, NBC announced a glitzy lineup of stars for its Olympic coverage. 3x NBA champion, Olympic gold-medalist, and a former teammate of the current Team USA veterans, Dwyane Wade was tapped as the color commentator for the men’s and women’s basketball games. It’s the first time Wade would wear the headset but his relationships with LeBron James and Kevin Durant make this move unique and eye-catching. D-Wade is already looking like a smart draw before his play-by-play debut in Paris on July 28.

Meanwhile, NBC is in the last stages of finalizing its deal with the NBA to air games after 2025. The network will probably begin developing its programming with an entertaining lineup. So in some ways, Wade’s new Olympic gig is looking like an audition for something bigger.

Dwyane Wade has a new role at the Olympics

In April, the NBA had agreed to a basic framework of a new media rights deal with ESPN and Amazon. The bidding war back then was between TNT and NBC. That same month, NBC Sports announced an Olympian-grade lineup for the Paris Olympics coverage. Joining seasoned sportscasters were Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning, Lily Collins, Snoop Dogg, Jimmy Fallon and so many more. Dwyane Wade will join LaChina Robinson and Noah Eagle as commentator for Team USA basketball games.

The NBC Olympics executive producer, Molly Solomon picked him for his past experience as an Olympian and his past stints on TNT, as per USA Today. This is making the NBA community online look at Wade’s new role as something long-term.

Wade was credited as an analyst at TNT for three years. He officially bowed out in 2022 to focus on his diverse ventures in wine, sneakers, and more. His experiences on the media front post-retirement have been limited to things like his new LGBTQ+ platform, Translatable, and his new podcasts. We’ve hardly seen him calling games before. And how many commentators can say their debut was at the Olympics?

This could open another new career for the multi-hyphenate, perhaps even calling NBA games. Granted that when NBC brought him on board, it was not known if they’d secure the NBA. However, for months there’s been speculation about who would make up NBC’s new basketball coverage team.

The majority were hoping for Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith to go from TNT to NBC. Shaq and Wade’s former teammate, Udonis Haslem was also floated as a fan favorite analyst. And his once greatest rival, Dirk Nowitzki had also left an impression after substituting for Chuck.

But NBC’s goal for the Olympics is bringing new voices to the sports space and D-Wade is definitely a fresh face for a new era.

How Turner opened a new path for D-Wade

Like they did with Kenny, Chuck, and Shaq, TNT Sports picked up The Flash in a flash after his retirement in 2019. Towards his later tenure, he was memorable for appearances on TNT Tuesdays alongside O’Neal and Candace Parker. Then in 2022, Turner went through some upheaval. They were on the verge of losing Barkley to LIV Golf before he and the Inside Crew renewed their contracts for 10 years. Wade chose to leave and Jamal Crawford filled in among other analysts before he became permanent on Tuesdays during the 2023-24 season.

The league rejected WBD’s last attempt to keep the NBA, leaving two possibilities open-ended – a legal battle to maintain the status quo or the end of Inside of NBA. Barkley intends to retire and where Shaq and Kenny will go remains uncertain. Meanwhile, NBC gets to start from a clean slate.

Also note, that NBC Universal’s chief executive, Mark Lazarus, was previously the TNT boss. Barkley even claimed he wouldn’t mind working for him. Importing TNT’s veteran talent, recreating a star-powered crew with someone like Wade, developing a new team around him, anything is possible in the new NBA showtime.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us in the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.