NBC didn't do a bad job with the NBA, especially since they got Marv Albert. However ABC trainwrecked it.

The CBS era was the golden of basketball on the court and the silver era of basketball on television. The NBC era was the silver era of basketball on the court and the golden era of basketball on television. The soul of the NBA died the night the NBC era ended.

CBS and NBC had the best NBA coverage between mid 1970's and early 2000's

This was a sad day when CBS lost the NBA CBS always had the best announcers

The NBA on CBS was a part of my childhood, teen, and very early adult years!! Was only 22 when the NBA left for NBC. I STILL MISS IT!

Dick Stockton was and is still one of the best.

Marvin Gaye's EPIC rendition of the national anthem at the 1983 ASG to close it out.

This ending started that great run of NBA on NBC. Nbc broadcasting had the excellent promos and presentations that made you wanna watch basketball.

Hard to believe it's been 30 years since CBS last carried telecasts of the NBA. The NBA and CBS were a good fit.

I remember the tribute well. And it ended with the best national anthem performance of all time. I could watch this 100 times (and probably will).

From Dick Stockton (CBS) to Marv Albert (NBC). From "Basket Counts and the Foul" to "YES!! And It Counts!" From Verne Lundquist (CBS) to the late Dick Enberg (NBC). From Pat O'Brien (CBS) to Bob Costas (NBC). From "The Basketball Show" to "NBA Showtime".

Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown. It doesn't get any better than that.

CBS and NBC are light years better than ABC. NBC to me is the gold standard of the NBA but CBS was pretty darned great too.

RIP: John Havlicek (1940-2019).

NBC did a great job after CBS. ABC/ESPN, well, not so much.

Would love to have NBA basketball back on this network again...

This marked the end of the Bird-Magic-Isiah era that dominated the 80's. The next great dynasty was set to begin on NBC with MJ and the Bulls.

We know that we leave the NBA in good hands CBS wishing NBC Good luck with the NBA

Marvin Gaye's iconic rendition of singing the Star Spangled Banner is such a strong part of NBA history! Beautiful!

Bring back THE NBA ON CBS!!!

RIP Sandy Grossman, you were one the of best sports TV directors of all-time!

It was a joy watching the NBA on CBS. And the greatest collection of talent to ever play the game. But you know what? The 90's were great as well. And NBC did a great job of covering the NBA. The Admiral, Sir Charles, Shaq, The Mailman, the return of Magic, Hakeem, and of course, Jordan and DA BULLSSS!

Dude, that was The Last Waltz from The Band. That's a great song

I hope in 2026 season, NBA would be back on CBS with Jim Nantz as lead play by play

Over 30 years later this still brings tears to my 👀

I WAS SO HURT WHEN SAMSON MADE THAT SHOT BACK THEN!

This year should have been 47 years of memories thanks for the memories

Pat Summerall called the first season for the NBA on CBS and he also called a few NCCA games for CBS in the mid-80s. He said Basketball was his favorite sport. He truly was a talented man. Rest In Peace ❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

The end of an era. Curtain closes on the NBA ON CBS for the last time. Watching all those games on CBS was a family tradition during my childhood years. Just watching and listening to the legendary duo of Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown announcing and commenting on those games made watching the NBA ON CBS more exciting. Of all the games I've watched over all these years in my life, Dick Stockton will forever be known as Mr. NBA for his distinctive familiar sounding voice that made watching those games on CBS so fun.

Dick Stockton, Tom Heinsohn, Brent Musberger, Pat O'Brien, Bill Russell, Rick Barry, Hubie Brown. Billy Cunningham. So many good games called by these guys. Their voices are still familiar to me. I will listen to a game sometimes at night and it relaxes me.

It’s funny after a brief interlude of the 90s while the bulls dominated, the same teams that dominated in the 80s and 70s seem to return in the 2000’s

4:25, Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," the first music video ever played on VH1 before it became a reality-based channel.

Brent musburger was the man

NBA ON CBS SHOULD BEEN ON FOR 46 YEARS WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GREAT RUN

Nice Music. In the days when all sport was free,but limted. From the New Forest, UK GOD BLESS!

The biggest mistake CBS ever made! They missed the whole Jordan ride, and imagine what their ratings would've been for their biggest shows with the Jordan NBA leading it in? The loss of the NBA forshadowed the loss of the NFC package, and we know that hurt....Big Time!

Terrible day in the history of the NBA. Nobody did it like CBS.

Pat Summerall was the original play by play NBA on CBS announcer in 1973-74 when CBS got the rights.

I remember watching this following the Pistons winning the title. Sad.

It's a shame the video cuts off just before the word "brave," but I think that was a local station issue.

My Detroit Pistons won the last game ever on CBS clinching the 1990 NBA FINALS 🏆

Dick Stockton was my all time favorite NBA play by play guy.

THIS YEAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN 46 YEARS THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

I may have been a baby when CBS last aired NBA games, but I'd rather watch it on there or NBC, rather than the greedy clowns of ESPN/ABC Sports. CBS and NBC did a terrific job in airing games and their coverage was top notch. Did CBS air Lakers, Celtics and Sixers almost all the time? YES. Did NBC have a love-fest Jordan and the Bulls' all the time? YES. Every network had it's faults airing the NBA, but CBS and NBC were LEGENDARY. ESPN/ABC is a joke.

THIS YEAR ON NBA ON CBS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON FOR 48 YEARS WHAT A GREAT RUN

That was sad when CBS lost the NBA package to NBC, CBS"s coverage was great so were the announcers. But it signaled a change when the 90's came in as professional sports leagues were changing television contracts. MLB moved to CBS that year from NBC, The NBA went too NBC that following season. The NFL moved to FOX in '94 from CBS. Baseball came back to NBC in "96 for a few seasons, Fox also signed on with baseball. The NFL returned too CBS in 98 but left NBC without the NFL. The NHL was jumping from network to network. Some decade that was in pro sports.

CBS had excellent, excellent, excellent coverage until '88-89. it peaked in '87-'88.

Interesting thing is that in Baltimore, WBAL-TV 11 went from being a CBS Affiliate to being a NBC Affiliate in 1995.

From Dan Robertson (voice of CBS Sports from 1974-1993) to Mitch Phillips (later the late Jim Fagan from 1991-2002 also the original voice of NBA Action from 1991-2004) (voice of NBC Sports from late 1970s until 1993).

CBS and NBC should share the NBA coverage.

CBS need to bring back the NBA

Nakakalungkot talaga ang pagkawala ng NBA on CBS.

To this day CBS covered the NBA better than any other network

1:51 RIP Tommy H. Not a Celtic fan but showing respect.

Dick Stockton retiring. He is one of the best ever.

I think what also may have driven the NBA away from CBS was CBS spending a lot of money (and perhaps in hindsight, overpaying) to land Major League Baseball away from NBC & ABC (beginning in 1990) and (to a lesser extent) all of the Winter Olympics of the '90s.

next year should have been 48 years on nba on cbs thanks for the memories

I would love for CBS and Turner Sports to team up on the NBA like they have done w/ March Madness. They could also put some games on CBS Sports Net to bolster its line-up/credibility.

NBC should get it back some day

The beginning of the best era of NBA....

was this also the reasoning behind why brent musburger disappeared from cbs around this time??

At the time my beloved Blazers had just been booted in 5 games by Detroit so I never really saw this before. Sports still had a purity even then that is now gone forever.

NBC got the NBA JUST as the Bulls were beginning their Championship dynasty, and the greatest sports run in history, the golden age of the sport.

Well I'm from the NBC era so this is the era rite b4 mines

This was really the golden era of nba with the great rivalry of Lakers and Celtics and Pistons of the 80's. It went downhill after that.

MANY MEMORIES

4:23 USA National Anthem at the 1983 NBA All Star Game.

Basketball died after this year. League changed the rules and got watered down. 80s in my opinion was the best era of basketball.

From a personell standpoint, CBS might be better equipped for the NBA, especially now that Marv Albert is aboard. Its weird because CBS was rumored, in 1987 to be pursuing Marv Albert. Never happened though.

Dick Stockton is passing the torch to his NBC counterpart, Marv Albert.

Mike Burks = Genius

ABC's coverage doesn't seem as majestic, focused, or classy as the later CBS years or NBC's. They seem more or less, like ESPN buying time on their sister network (via Disney) since the TV contract required at least 15 regular season slots and the NBA Finals on broadcast network TV. If ESPN had it their way, they would want all of the games on there.

I would love see CBS or NBC get to cover the NBA games again. ESPN/ABC is so stupid and overrated with annoying commentators and analysts.

From midnight replays of the final game of the championship in 81 and 82 to number one in the ratings in 84. million dollar tv contracts to billion dollar good jib cbs!!!!

If Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery tie the knot, maybe we will get the NBA on CBS back. CBS coverage might be limited during the regular season due to other commitments, but they should be able to ramp it up after The Masters in April.

To anyone who EVER watched NBA on CBS you got to see MANY MANY MANY CAREERS Drj George gervin Larry bird Magic Kareem Wes unseld Oscar robertson Rick barry Bill walton Dennis johnson Moses malone Michael jordan with hair Isiah thomas Among others this was the ending of many of those players careers Isiah retired in 94 moses in 95 drj in 87 unseld in 81 magic on 91 bird in 92 michael jordan in 93,99,2003 among others.

next year should have been on for 48 years on cbs great run

When TNT came around at the end of 1988, you had more competition chipping away at the NBA on CBS. Not to mention TBS was still carrying games. CBS got caught in a squeeze. From the beginning(1973-74), they didnt start televising every Sunday until after the X-Mas game. During the tape delayed era(pre Bird-Magic)they would televise a few FRI night early season games tape delay, then in the new year is when weekly coverage started. When Bird and Magic came in, it still took a few years for the public to "catch on" or "come back"(1980-81, Bird-Magic's 2nd yr, NBA ratings were at an all time low). The NBA finally picked up steam again in the 81-82 season, especially the playoffs, none of the '82 finals games were tape delayed(i know, because i watched every game). By the time Michael Jordan came to the league(1984-85), CBS started carrying the NCAA and the tournament, the original NBA on ESPN was around, the USA network and TBS were televising NBA games, so if you had cable(like my family did), CBS was on the back burner(at least during the week). I remember during timeouts of the CBS telecast, there would be commercials for the CBS Sports Spectacular and in the later years, they would go over to the major golf tournaments(for a few minutes) so it looked like CBS had too much on it's plate, not to mention the MLB contract, which turned out to be a disaster.

Anybody know what the main music in the video is? (I mean, the song before Marvin Gaye's National Anthem; It sounds like something from "The Godfather" trilogy.)

3:09 lmao is that Jack Nicholson

Don't worry old-schoolers, the NBA TV rights are up for bid this summer!

I think that also CBS couldn't provide as much coverage of the league as the NBA wanted, particularly in the winter and the spring. At that time CBS also had all of the NCAA Tournament and pretty much all of the big golf tournaments.

This is the day basically nba handed over the league to nbc and MJ, funny how Bulls dynasty began as NBC took over

"We've seen Michael Jordan take flight". Yes, but you missed his times in the finals and NBA titles. That would be on NBC.

I'm saying this, based on the sports forums I've looked at and some of the games that I currently have on DVD.

I miss the nba on cbs you can blame cable

Missed them games on Cbs.

They should bring the NBA back to CBS

The Larry Bird steal was not part of this montage because the game aired on TBS. I bet CBS so wished they had carried that legendary game.

True, but NBC didn't do a bad job either. ABC on the other hand...

0:55 Anybody know the name of this song?

49 YEARS GREAT RUN

CBS aired tape delayed NBA Finals games at 11:30 p.m. EDT until the last few years of their contract. Lol. Could you imagine that today? Also morning on the west coast NBA Finals games on some weekends.

I miss the NBA On CBS I hope the NBA On CBS Sports will be back soon

Hopefully TNT set to step aside next year as NBC would return after 23 years.

...and the NBA was never the same again.

The 80s ended for sure here

The music choice here is blowing my mind. It seems that CBS was totally unattuned to the average basketball fan, even those in 1990.

ABC was the original home of the NBA before CBS during the 60's-70's, in a way its returned home.

I think ESPN may keep Friday games & Turner Sports keep Thursday but CBS may pull the big bucks to have the games on weekends & CBS Sports may do Wed.. But don't forget Turner Sports/CBS has the NCAA package also.