ESPN's Tim Corrigan: NBA In-Season Tourney Will Have Major-Event Look, Feel By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Friday, November 3, 2023 - 8:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
With the NBA's Inaugural NBA Cup In-Season Tournament tipping off tonight, Tim Corrigan, ESPN, vice president of production, says making sure viewers, from the very first frame of coverage, know they are watching something different, new and exciting, is paramount. And in this case that begins with new graphics, new courts, and a new tease narrated by LL Cool J and The Roots.
That's why having someone like LL Cool J and the Roots kind of be the narrators from a tease and welcome standpoint, he says. And we'll certainly be adding equipment as we add microphones and player mics and all that stuff as we build towards [the semi-finals and finals] in Vegas.
The NBA In-Season Tournament is modeled after similar tournaments throughout European football leagues. All 30 teams were randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference and each will play four group play games against the other teams in their group. Eight teams will advance to knockout rounds (Dec. 4, Dec. 5) ahead of the semi-finals and finals on Dec. 7 and 9 in Las Vegas. Games will be broadcast both locally on RSNs and nationally on ABC, ESPN, and TNT.
Helping the broadcasts have a different feel will be a different broadcast team, led by Ryan Ruocco on play-by-play and JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson as analysts.
I think the people we have doing this are the right people to be doing it in front of the camera and behind the camera, says Corrigan. We're coming out, and we're trying to be great in the production of these events and the documentation of these events and everything else. There's no part of us that's not coming out with high expectations of what our presentation is going to be.
The NBA in-season tournament court for the Los Angeles Lakers typifies the bold color choices for the courts.
And as if new graphics, a new open, and a new broadcast team aren't enough to let viewers know they are watching something different there are the courts. Each NBA team will have a new court for the NBA Cup, and they are designed to truly stand apart from the traditional home courts. The courts will featur3 vibrant and bold colors, and share the following design details, according to the NBA:
A fully painted court, edge-to-edge
A larger-than-life NBA Cup at center court, prominently displaying to players and fans the new trophy that will be awarded to the champion
A contrasting wash of color from lane-to-lane, creating a 16-foot wide runway across the court
NBA Cup silhouettes in the lanes
Team logos across the NBA Cup at center court and on the baselines
When you turn it on and you're watching a game in Boston, there's no parquet and the City Edition uniforms are not new to the NBA, but there's a purpose for what they're doing with them, says Corrigan.
Corrigan says that when he heard about the new courts his first concern was how the new looks would impact virtual graphics and signage and other elements.
We're going to allow more time for calibration and figuring it out, he says. But credit to the tech side of the NBA in incorporating us and Turner and everybody in the planning of exactly that because, when we first were brought in on that, that was our immediate concerns. So, we've been collaborating on them and figuring that out. I'm sure we're going to have challenges, but having a little bit of runway to have people think about that and work on that has been advantageous to us.
Corrigan says that the culmination of the tournament on December 7 and 9 in Las Vegas will have a championship feel.
That will extend from the on-court presentation standpoint of additional equipment, maybe some new technology and things that we're now talking about offline [that will make it] feel like a huge event. There are certain events that you want to put a lot of money into, and we will do that on this.
A big question is will the players embrace the tournament and take it seriously? As a former player, Reddick says he is not concerned.
If I'm in the NBA and I get a chance to go to Vegas in the middle of the season to play for some money and some pride and a trophy, I'm all in. Those are going to feel like an actual playoff game. So, I don't buy into the skepticism.
One of the big discussion points internally, adds Corrigan, is making sure everyone is educated about what the event means.
It's just so great to hear what J.J. says from a player's standpoint and my guess is we're probably going to put more of our marketing weight into this just because this is what's new.
Especially when you're going from the group play to the knockout round, the knockout rounds are one-and-done. So again, to have one-and-done NBA games in the first two months of the season is pretty amazing. So, there's just a whole lot of good to wrap your arms around.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
ESPN's Tim Corrigan: NBA In-Season Tourney Will Have Major-Event Look, Feel By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
