Mike Tirico will be lead play-by-play announcer when NBC begins its NBA coverage next season

Mike Tirico has been officially named as NBC's lead play-by-play announcer when it begins its coverage of the NBA next season.

The move is not a surprise, since many expected that to happen when NBC agreed to an 11-year contract with the NBA last summer. Tirico was part of ESPN and ABC's coverage of the league until moving to NBC in July 2016. He also called six NBA Finals on ESPN Radio.

According to research from the 506 Sports Archive, Tirico called 313 NBA regular-season and playoff games on ESPN and ABC.

Tirico will have another busy 10-month stretch from September through May 2026. He calls the “Sunday Night Football” package, which will include Super Bowl 60, and will lead NBC's Olympics coverage as the prime time host of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.

Tirico will call select games on NBC and Peacock the first half of the season, including the season opener in October.

“My 15 years of chronicling the best basketball players in the world still stands as one of the highlights of my career," Tirico said in a statement. "Like so many others, my love of the league took hold during the unforgettable days of the NBA on NBC back in the ’90s. The chance to be a part of the team bringing that iconic partnership back to life has us incredibly excited.”

NBC, which carried NBA games from 1990 through 2002, will have up to 100 regular-season games, including on Sunday night once the NFL season has ended. It will also have games on Tuesday throughout the regular season, while a Monday night doubleheader would be exclusively streamed on Peacock. NBC will also have the All-Star Game and All-Star Saturday Night.

During the playoffs, NBC and/or Peacock will have up to 28 games the first two rounds, with at least half on NBC. It also will carry one of the two conference finals in six of the 11 years of the deal.

With the All-Star Game less than a month away, the hiring cycle for NBC, ESPN/ABC and Prime Video for next season is expected to ramp up.

NBC previously announced that Jamal Crawford will be a game analyst and Frank DiGraci will serve as coordinating producer while Prime Video named Taylor Rooks, Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki to its studio show.

“Inside the NBA” will appear on ESPN and ABC beginning next season as part of a settlement between Warner Bros. Discovery and the NBA. This is the final season of NBA coverage on TNT.

Noah Eagle, who does college football, college basketball and some NFL games, is also expected to be a part of NBC's coverage even though an announcement has not been made. Jalen Rose is a game analyst for college basketball on NBC/Peacock, but does have NBA studio and analyst experience from his time with ESPN/ABC.

“It’s been a fun challenge putting the puzzle pieces together to create a new team for one of the most exciting launches in our company’s history," said NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood, who is overseeing the process. “It’s still very early in the process, but Mike, Jamal, and Frank provide a great foundation that we’ll build upon.”

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FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2019, file photo, NBC sportscaster Mike Tirico works the sidelines during an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes, File)

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday that U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” adding that they will trigger tough countermeasures from the 27-nation bloc.

“The EU will act to safeguard its economic interests,” von der Leyen said in a statement in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump's imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum the previous day.

“Tariffs are taxes — bad for business, worse for consumers,” von der Leyen said. “Unjustified tariffs on the EU will not go unanswered — they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures.”

In Germany, home to the EU's largest economy, Chancellor Olaf Scholz told parliament that “if the U.S. leaves us no other choice, then the European Union will react united,” adding that "ultimately, trade wars always cost both sides prosperity.”

Trump is hitting foreign steel and aluminum with a 25% tax in the hope that they will give local producers relief from intense global competition, allowing them to charge higher prices. He imposed similar tariffs during his first presidency but the move damaged relations with key U.S. allies and drove up costs for “downstream’’ manufacturers that buy steel and aluminum.

It is not clear what countermeasures would seek to apply, but officials and observers have said they would target Republican states and traditionally strong U.S. exports.

After Trump imposed steel tariffs in 2018, the EU imposed counter-tariffs on U.S.-made motorcycles, bourbon, peanut butter and jeans, among other items.

EU Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič said Tuesday that the tariffs are "economically counterproductive, especially given the deeply integrated production chains established through our extensive transatlantic trade and investment ties.”

“We will protect our workers, businesses and consumers," Šefčovič said, but added that “it is not our preferred scenario. We remain committed to constructive dialog. We stand ready for negotiations and to find mutually beneficial solutions where possible.”

The EU estimates that the trade volume between both sides stands at about $1.5 trillion, representing some 30% of global trade. “There is a lot at stake for both sides,” he told the EU legislature.

While the EU has a substantial export surplus in goods, it says that is partly offset by the U.S. surplus in the trade of services.

The EU says that trade in goods reached 851 billion euros ($878 billion) in 2023, with a trade surplus of 156 billion euros ($161 billion) for the EU. Trade in services was worth €688 billion ($710 billion) with a trade deficit of 104 billion euros (107 billion) for the EU.

Geir Moulson contributed from Berlin, Lorne Cook from Brussels

FILE - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks at the historic synchronisation of the Baltic states with the EU electricity system activation ceremony of the "Baltic Energy Independence Day" in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)

FILE - Steel on coil cars ahead of transport at the main factory of struggling steel producer thyssenkrupp in Duisburg, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)