Maria Taylor has officially been named NBC Sports’ lead studio host for the NBA and WNBA. Coverage of the NBA tips off this October on NBC and Peacock. Taylor will host NBC Sports’ NBA studio programs on Sunday and Tuesday nights alongside analysts Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter.
Additionally, when NBC Sports’ coverage of the women’s league begins in the spring of 2026, Taylor will host select WNBA games on NBC and Peacock.
“I’m deeply honored to be part of NBC Sports’ incredible legacy covering the NBA and to return to the game that first captured my heart, women’s basketball,” said Taylor.
“To know that I’ll spend the next five years with my NBC family telling the stories of the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the NBA Playoffs, and the WNBA Finals is more than a dream come true — it’s a full-circle moment.”
Taylor has already anchored many of NBC Sports’ biggest events. Since 2022, she has been the lead host — and first full-time female host — of Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.
Taylor also served as a host for the Tokyo, Beijing, and Paris Olympics — earning a Sports Emmy as part of NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Her hosting credits also include Big Ten College Countdown, NBC Sports’ primetime college football studio program; Roland-Garros semifinals and finals; and more.
Taylor has prior experience working on the NBA having hosted ESPN NBA Countdown playoffs and Finals coverage in recent years. A former Division I volleyball and basketball player at the University of Georgia, she also hosted College Gameday as well as the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament selection show and Final Four coverage during her time at ESPN.
In July 2024, NBCUniversal and the NBA announced an 11-year agreement to present NBA and WNBA regular-season and playoff basketball games across numerous platforms beginning with the 2025-26 season. Peacock will livestream exclusive national Monday night games, while NBC/Peacock will present national coverage of regional doubleheaders on Tuesday nights.
NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball in 2026 across NBC and Peacock, providing NBA fans with three consecutive nights of national coverage across NBCUniversal platforms during the second half of the regular season. For more information on the agreement, click here.
Maria Taylor has officially been named NBC Sports’ lead studio host for the NBA and WNBA. Coverage of the NBA tips off this October on NBC and Peacock. Taylor will host NBC Sports’ NBA studio programs on Sunday and Tuesday nights alongside analysts Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter.
Additionally, when NBC Sports’ coverage of the women’s league begins in the spring of 2026, Taylor will host select WNBA games on NBC and Peacock.
“I’m deeply honored to be part of NBC Sports’ incredible legacy covering the NBA and to return to the game that first captured my heart, women’s basketball,” said Taylor.
“To know that I’ll spend the next five years with my NBC family telling the stories of the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the NBA Playoffs, and the WNBA Finals is more than a dream come true — it’s a full-circle moment.”
Taylor has already anchored many of NBC Sports’ biggest events. Since 2022, she has been the lead host — and first full-time female host — of Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.
Taylor also served as a host for the Tokyo, Beijing, and Paris Olympics — earning a Sports Emmy as part of NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Her hosting credits also include Big Ten College Countdown, NBC Sports’ primetime college football studio program; Roland-Garros semifinals and finals; and more.
Taylor has prior experience working on the NBA having hosted ESPN NBA Countdown playoffs and Finals coverage in recent years. A former Division I volleyball and basketball player at the University of Georgia, she also hosted College Gameday as well as the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament selection show and Final Four coverage during her time at ESPN.
In July 2024, NBCUniversal and the NBA announced an 11-year agreement to present NBA and WNBA regular-season and playoff basketball games across numerous platforms beginning with the 2025-26 season. Peacock will livestream exclusive national Monday night games, while NBC/Peacock will present national coverage of regional doubleheaders on Tuesday nights.
NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball in 2026 across NBC and Peacock, providing NBA fans with three consecutive nights of national coverage across NBCUniversal platforms during the second half of the regular season. For more information on the agreement, click here.
