Peacock announces NBA whiparound show hosted by Noah Eagle, with Doc Rivers as analyst

The NBA broadcast rights package for the second season of 2024-25 has brought forth an unexpected addition to NBC Sports and Peacock's offerings. On Monday, November 2nd, viewers will be treated to a new format called the NBA Whiparound show, replacing the second slot of their typical doubleheader on Peacock.

Scheduled to air after the Oklahoma City Thunder versus Cleveland Cavaliers game, this whiparound format will allow audiences to view snippets from the night's late games. Play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle will lead the show, with Doc Rivers and Brian Scalabrine as analysts. Interestingly, Doc Rivers, who recently retired from coaching, joins the team as an analyst, while his former players, Brian Scalabrine, will also serve as studio analysts for the show's pregame segment.

The whiparound format has been utilized by NBC in various capacities, including their Gold Zone for the Olympics, their Sunday Stretch for MLB's Independence Day games, and even NFL Red Zone popularized it, although it had proven a challenge to replicate for less event-driven sports. Previously, NBA TV had aired its own whiparound program, NBA Crunchtime, throughout the 2024-25 season, led by Jared Greenberg, but it lacked significant entertainment value due to the absence of studio analysts.

With Noah Eagle, Doc Rivers, and Brian Scalabrine on board, NBC aims to incorporate a more traditional studio setup that seamlessly transitions between games. This comes as no surprise considering the Worldwide Leader has rights to the renowned RedZone branding, and rumors have long circulated about the potential implementation of a similar show for college football. The announcement of this new format leaves the question of whether ESPN will secure similar whiparound coverage under their NBA broadcasting rights.