Mike Tirico is now pulling double-duty for NBC, anchoring both Sunday Night Football and the network’s NBA coverage. And while that might sound like a dream gig for the versatile broadcaster, his partner in the booth, Cris Collinsworth, has some concerns.
“I’m worried about your load management,” Collinsworth quipped during Sunday night’s broadcast.
Now that Mike Tirico is pulling double-duty with the NBA, Cris Collinsworth is concerned about his SNF partner’s load management. pic.twitter.com/GXj448RGOM
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 27, 2025
The comment came after Tirico mentioned that Michael Jordan would address load management in an upcoming NBA on NBC segment. Jordan, who famously played in virtually every game he was available for during his career, is expected to share his thoughts on the modern NBA’s approach to resting players.
“Does that mean we get another Michael Jordan conversation?” Collinsworth asked.
“You asked, we will,” Tirico replied. “We’ll have an installment of MJ’s insights to excellence. People talk about load management and resting guys; Michael’s famous for playing every game he was available for. He’ll talk about where that is in the league as part of our coverage on Wednesday night.”
It’s a fair concern from Collinsworth. Tirico’s schedule is about to get significantly more demanding now that NBC has brought the NBA back into its programming lineup after a 23-year absence. Between calling Sunday Night Football during the fall and now adding NBA duties on top of it, Tirico is essentially working two of the most high-profile broadcasting jobs in sports simultaneously.
And unlike Jordan, who could control his own minutes on the court, Tirico doesn’t exactly have the luxury of sitting out. NBC made him the face of both properties for a reason. When you’re that essential to the broadcast, there’s no such thing as load management.
To be fair, Tirico has already proven he can handle the workload. During NBC’s NBA opener last week, he looked like he’d been calling basketball his entire NBC tenure, not someone who hadn’t done it regularly in nearly a decade.
And if Tirico was feeling any strain from juggling two sports, it hasn’t shown.
The Syracuse grad thrives under pressure and seems to relish the challenge of being NBC’s go-to voice for its two biggest sports properties. And unlike the NBA players Jordan will undoubtedly criticize for sitting out games, Tirico doesn’t strike you as someone who needs a night off.
But he’ll lean on Collinsworth if he needs to.