In our latest edition of “Artificial Intelligence literally nobody was asking for,” NBC doubles down on its NBA nostalgia.
The network soft-launched its NBA coverage on Tuesday, with Peacock airing a preseason game between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. It looked just how one would expect any major network broadcast to look. It was clean and professional.
But at least one aspect of the production sent longtime NBA fans into an uncanny valley experience. At halftime, NBC debuted the AI-generated voice of Jim Fagan, the former NBA on NBC announcer who died in 2017.
Here is our first look at the AI-generated likeness of former NBA on NBC narrator Jim Fagan that the network will be using on its NBA coverage starting this year. NBC is using “AI voice synthesis technology” to recreate the late announcer’s voice. pic.twitter.com/y2AVIXTufA
— Sports TV News & Updates (@TVSportsUpdates) October 8, 2025
“Welcome to American Express at the half!” Fagan’s likeness bellowed out. “Two of college football’s most iconic programs meet at the LA Coliseum. No. 15 Michigan visits USC on NBC and Peacock. Here comes Satuday night!”
Nothing about the promotion seemed inherently wrong. It’s just off-putting in the way that all artificial intelligence can be. It was human, but not quite human. And simply knowing that Fagan is no longer with us makes for an uncomfortable experience hearing his “voice.”
NBC has experimented with this type of thing before. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, the network solicited the voice of Al Michaels to narrate personalized AI-generated highlight packages for fans on Peacock. The difference is that Michaels is still alive and actively calling games. It’s not as bizarre to hear his voice. Fagan, on the other hand, hasn’t done voiceover for the NBA on NBC since the package went off the air in 2002.
It’s clear that NBC wants to lean into the nostalgia factor as it renews its relationship with the NBA. The network repurchased the rights to John Tesh’s “Roundball Rock,” for instance. But nobody was asking NBC to bring Jim Fagan back from the dead, as beloved as he was.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. And this idea was best left on the cutting room floor.