Twenty-three years. That’s how long it’s been since NBC last broadcast an NBA game. Now, the league’s homecoming happens October 21 between your Golden State Warriors and the rival Los Angeles Lakers. And fittingly, it lands on another piece of pop culture history: Back to the Future Day, the day Doc and Marty traveled to in the DeLorean.
This isn’t just another season opener folks, it’s basketball poetry. Steph Curry and LeBron James, the two defining superstars of the modern era, christening NBC’s
return the way Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal once made Sunday afternoons appointment viewing. The kids who grew up watching those iconic broadcasts now finally step onto that stage as grizzled vets with their own fistfuls of rings.
NBC in the ’90s and early 2000s was more than a TV partner. It was an event. The John Tesh theme. Ahmad Rashad’s sideline interviews. Games that felt like cultural milestones. NBC didn’t just show basketball; they framed it as theater. Now, two decades later, the network reclaims its place with a matchup that’s both a nod to history and a snapshot of where the league stands today.
Now we know that as much as we hype the Lakers’ retools, they are not a guaranteed contender. They were bounced in the first round last season by the feisty Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors, meanwhile, knocked off the West’s No. 2 seed before a Curry injury derailed their run and the Twolves crushed him. The Dubs still have Curry, Draymond Green, and now Jimmy Butler (a nightly problem for anyone)but they’re also aging. This is closer to sunset than sunrise for both of these cores, which makes every high-profile battle more urgent.
This past offseason the Lakers, true to form, went star-hunting again, betting that big names and talent will sort themselves out. The Warriors stick with their system and culture, trusting the chemistry they’ve built over a decade. It’s a philosophical clash as much as it is a basketball game: exactly the kind of storyline NBC used to thrive on.
The contrast is fascinating. The Lakers have gone the star-acquisition route. Stack elite names, figure out chemistry later. The Warriors (amazing Butler trade aside) have built their dynasty on continuity, culture, and a system honed over a decade. Both paths have delivered rings, but neither is guaranteed to keep working forever. That tension is what makes this opening-night clash more than just a ratings play.
For NBC, it’s a perfect reentry: a game that ties past to present, nostalgia to reality. Curry still bending defenses with his gravity. LeBron still redefining longevity. Two franchises trying to squeeze out one more title window. And a network that once made NBA games feel like national holidays stepping back into the spotlight.
On October 21, basketball returns to NBC, the DeLorean’s “future” becomes the present, and two aging but dangerous rosters square off under the brightest lights. The stakes may be higher than the standings suggest—because there aren’t many more of these moments left.
