John Fanta is best known for his college basketball work. However, on Tuesday, he’ll do something a bit different.
Fanta will make his NBA on NBC play-by-play debut, calling the Minnesota Timberwolves-Portland Trail Blazers game on Peacock and NBCSN.
Although this will be his first NBC NBA broadcast, Fanta previously called a Nets-Cavaliers game in Paris for NBA TV in January 2024.
We recently caught up with Fanta, who joined NBC last August after seven years at Fox Sports.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Awful Announcing: How excited are you to make your NBA on NBC debut?
John Fanta: “I’m really pumped about it, and I’m grateful for the opportunity because when I think of iconic sports properties, the NBA on NBC is in a class of its own. It’s at a special level in sports, and that’s been seen throughout recent weeks with Bob Costas greeting viewers for the All-Star Game, Sunday Night Basketball, and Roundball Rock, and with John Tesch playing last Sunday. That nostalgia, along with the newness of the property’s return, makes being part of it a really humbling honor.”
How did this particular opportunity come about?
“On Dec. 18, we held a company roundtable for the thousands of people who are part of NBC Sports, a calendar-year-in-review and a look ahead. It was at Stanford, and I was asked to emcee it. It was really cool because we had everybody from Rick Cordella to Sam Flood to Molly Solomon to Frank DiGraci to Lyndsay Signor. We had a surprise guest, Mike Tirico.
“Frank DiGraci, our coordinating producer for the NBA, said on stage, in front of everybody, ‘It is going to be a legendary February. And what will also make it special is that John Fanta, you’ll be making your NBA debut on NBC on Feb. 24 in Portland.’”
“They are ready to take the torch.” 🔥
After the young stars lit up NBA All-Star Weekend, @John_Fanta and Antonio Daniels say the future of the league looks brighter than ever. pic.twitter.com/8dYekbuWZm
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 19, 2026
Was this a surprise to you?
“I had no idea. Christmas came early. That was certainly a surprise. For Frank to present it that way was cool. And a lot of different people that I had worked with on the college football and basketball side just happened to be in the room and were watching the roundtable. Some of them broke into applause. That’s humbling.”
What will it be like working alongside Jamal Crawford and Grant Liffmann?
“I have never worked a game with Jamal Crawford, but I’ve been watching him for a couple of years, including the recent months with the NBA and NBC, to see his style and how he does things with enthusiasm and adds something to every broadcast. I’m excited to sit down and do a game with him. As a play-by-play guy, the star of the show is who’s sitting next to me. The job is to set him up. He doesn’t need setting up, but that’s how I look at it.
“Grant and I did some NBA trade deadline updates a few weeks back. We recorded them digitally. So, we’ve got a back-and-forth chemistry that’s been established. I think he’s phenomenal.”
How steep will the learning curve be when going from the college game to the NBA?
“I’m a basketball fan, and I watch the NBA every night. It’s not like I got the assignment and then just started watching the NBA. This is why I joined NBC Sports. Because when I sat down with Sam Flood and with Rick Cordella and Elyse Noonan, I can distinctly remember all three of them saying, ‘We’re going to challenge you. We’re going to give you different opportunities. We’re going to keep raising that bar.’ That is what you want to hear. That’s what you love to hear. I want to be challenged.”
Loved tipping off the NBA preseason calling the Abu Dhabi Games this weekend on NBA TV. In the latest example that Anthony Edwards is spectacular, he capped off the first quarter yesterday with this. Amazing to think he’s still only 22. Superstar.
pic.twitter.com/yc1YgtKB8W
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) October 8, 2023
What is the biggest difference in play-by-play between the NBA and college?
“The NBA game moves at a different speed. The 24-second shot clock is there. It’s different from the college game, which has a 30-second shot clock. You have to be judicious about when you’re jumping in with stories. Let the action and the stars speak for themselves. You’ve got that prep, you’ve got those stories, you’ve got those things ready. But Michael, there are times when the college game moves slowly enough that you could let something go into play. And in the NBA, I think it’s a little bit different because at any moment, the highlight of the night could happen.”
What intrigues you about the Timberwolves vs. the Trail Blazers?
“I think the game on Tuesday is intriguing because you’re talking about a Timberwolves franchise that’s made it to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. In Portland, not many people had expectations for them. This team could be in the play-in (tournament). Taking a deeper dive and showing fans Deni Avdija. People may not know about his parents and his journey, that they were athletes and that there’s a deeper backstory into how he found basketball and then took off in basketball.”
How did growing up in Cleveland shape your perspective on the NBA?
“I was seven years old when LeBron James was drafted to the Cavaliers. My childhood was about being in front of the TV every single night, watching LeBron and the Cavaliers. It was the late, great Fred McLeod, the former voice of the Cavaliers. Austin Carr, who was so excited. Then on the radio, a great voice in Joe Tait. Joe would always say, ‘Wham with the right hand!
’“Here’s how much I love Joe Tait. When they did his bobblehead night, I had a family member—I’m in New Jersey—I had a family member get to the arena and pick it up.”
What other memories do you have?
“I can remember having a slice of pizza on the night of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. I was 11 years old. LeBron James scored 25 straight points against the Pistons in the ECF. It made me say, I love this game. I love this sport. That’s the single best performance I’ve ever seen. Individually, I’ve never seen a player do anything like that. He took over the game and beat a Detroit team that was better.”
Pivoting to college basketball, what are you looking forward to seeing during March Madness?
“The freshman class is generational. I hope we see Darryn Peterson play as much as possible in March. Between him, Cameron Boozer, Darius Acuff, Keaton Wagler, and AJ Dybantsa, this freshman class is ridiculous. Then, at the top, there are 10 or 12 teams that can win it all. I believe Michigan is the best team. Duke, all they’ve mostly done is win. Cam Boozer has won at every single level.”