During the NBA on NBC‘s 12 year run from 1990-2002, the broadcasts and promotional spots featured the voice of narrator Jim Fagan, who drove excitement around the games featuring stars like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Hakeem Olajuwon.
NBC lost the NBA rights in 2003, and Fagan passed away in 2017, but when the NBA on NBC returns to the network this fall, his voice will once again be featured in promos, title sequences and show opens, this time teasing stars like Steph Curry, Jason Tatum, and Victor Wembanyama.
NBC says that it is using generative artificial intelligence technology to recreate Fagan’s voice, conjuring up a return to its broadcasts of 25 years ago.