Exuberant broadcaster John Fanta is slated to make his _NBA on NBC_ debut as a play-by-play announcer next week, _Front Office Sports_ has learned.
Fanta will be on the call for Minnesota Timberwolves-Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night, working alongside color commentator Jamal Crawford and sideline reporter Grant Liffman. The game will air on Peacock and NBCSN.
An NBC spokesperson confirmed the assignment to _FOS_.
When [NBC announced](https://www.nbcsports.com/pressbox/press-releases/john-fanta-joins-nbc-sports-as-mens-basketball-play-by-play-voice-on-peacock-and-nbc) last year that it had hired Fanta—who previously worked for Fox Sports—the press release said that he would have occasional NBA sideline duties, but did not stipulate play-by-play.
Fanta previously called an NBA regular season game [remotely for NBA TV](https://awfulannouncing.com/nba/fox-college-hoops-announcer-john-fanta-prepares-nba-debut.html) when the Brooklyn Nets played the Cleveland Cavaliers in Paris in 2024. He also hosts _The Warmup_ pregame show for the league’s network, and has been part of its Draft coverage. For the last two seasons, he has been one of the play-by-play voices of the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
At NBC, Fanta has been on the call for college basketball, and has done studio highlight updates for college football coverage and _Football Night in America_.