Exuberant broadcaster John Fanta is slated to make his NBA on NBC Sports debut as a play-by-play announcer next week, Front Office Sports has learned.
Fanta will be on the call for Timberwolves–Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, working alongside color commentator Jamal Crawford and sideline reporter Grant Liffmann. The game will air on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.
An NBC spokesperson confirmed the assignment to FOS.
When NBC announced last year that it had hired Fanta—who previously worked for Fox Sports—the press release said he would have occasional NBA sideline duties but did not stipulate play-by-play.
Fanta previously called an NBA regular-season game remotely for NBA TV when the Nets played the Cavaliers in Paris in 2024. He also hosts The Warmup pregame show for the league’s network and has been part of its draft coverage. For the last two seasons, he has been one of the play-by-play voices of the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
At NBC, Fanta has been on the call for college basketball, and he has done studio highlight updates for college football coverage and Football Night in America.
