NBC has officially completed its on-air roster for the network’s return to NBA coverage.
On Monday, NBC announced the additions of Jordan Cornette, Ashley ShahAhmadi, and Zora Stephenson as courtside reporters, rounding out a star-studded cast that also includes the previously reported hire of Grant Liffmann, the former Atlanta Hawks exec, who will serve as the network’s front office insider.
While Brian Windhorst was urging NBC to hire actual reporters, the network has taken its next steps in hiring something just as important. In Cornette, ShahAhmadi, and Stephenson, NBC is adding to an already stacked roster that includes play-by-play voices 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.
Rounding out the studio will be Austin Rivers and Brian Scalabrine, who will also serve as analysts, alongside Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and, of course, Michael Jordan. Joining them in the studio as hosts are Maria Taylor and Ahmed Fareed.
Cornette, a former Notre Dame captain and the school’s all-time blocks leader, has quietly built a strong on-camera résumé across ESPN, NBC, and Peacock. Since being laid off by ESPN in 2023, he’s become a mainstay on Big Ten College Countdown and NBC’s college basketball coverage, also pulling hosting duties for GOLF Channel events.
Stephenson might have the most dynamic résumé of the bunch. A former Milwaukee Bucks sideline reporter for Bally Sports Wisconsin, she made history in 2021 as the first woman to call a Bucks game on play-by-play. Since joining NBC Sports in 2021, she’s handled everything from Big Ten football to play-by-play for women’s hoops and gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also played four years at Elon, where she was a team captain.
ShahAhmadi brings her own NBA experience, having spent several seasons as a sideline reporter for the Charlotte Hornets on Bally Sports South. She’s also appeared on TNT’s NBA coverage as a studio host and sideline presence, with additional work on ESPN Radio and the SEC Network.
The NBA returns to NBC on October 21 with a season-opening doubleheader. Matchups haven’t been announced yet, but the network has officially locked in its broadcast team, and the roster is loaded.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.