NBC Finalizes NBA Broadcast Team With Sideline Reporter Additions

August 4, 2025

Ashley ShahAhmadi, NBA, NBC Sports — Ashley ShahAhmadi. (Getty Images)

NBC has completed its broadcast roster ahead of its return to NBA coverage.

The network announced Monday that Jordan Cornette, Ashley ShahAhmadi and Zora Stephenson will serve as courtside reporters for the upcoming season. They join a group that already includes front office insider Grant Liffmann, the former Atlanta Hawks executive, who was previously reported as part of NBC’s plans.

The additions give NBC a deep and varied roster across its NBA coverage, which launches with a season-opening doubleheader on October 21. Game matchups have yet to be revealed.

Cornette, a former Notre Dame captain and the school’s all-time blocks leader, has become a reliable presence across ESPN, NBC and Peacock. After being laid off by ESPN in 2023, he transitioned to NBC’s Big Ten College Countdown and has appeared on multiple platforms, including GOLF Channel events.

Stephenson brings experience as both a sideline reporter and play-by-play voice. She was previously the Milwaukee Bucks sideline reporter for Bally Sports Wisconsin and became the first woman to call a Bucks game on play-by-play in 2021.

Since joining NBC Sports, she has called everything from Big Ten football to women’s basketball and gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also played four seasons at Elon, where she was a team captain.

ShahAhmadi comes over from Bally Sports South, where she served as a sideline reporter for the Charlotte Hornets. She has also contributed to TNT’s NBA studio shows and sideline coverage, along with appearances on ESPN Radio and SEC Network.

They join a broadcast team that already includes play-by-play announcers Mike Tirico, Noah Eagle, Terry Gannon and Michael Grady, as well as analysts Jamal Crawford, Reggie Miller, Grant Hill, Brad Daugherty, Derek Fisher and Robbie Hummel.

Studio coverage will feature Maria Taylor and Ahmed Fareed as hosts, with analysts Brian Scalabrine and Austin Rivers. They will be joined by Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Michael Jordan.

The network has emphasized star power with its hires, but Monday’s additions show a clear commitment to well-rounded, experienced voices on the ground. Brian Windhorst may have suggested NBC needed more reporters, but the latest moves reflect a different type of balance, and the roster is now set.