Michael Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, will join NBC Sports’ coverage of the NBA as a special contributor in October, when the NBA returns to NBC and makes its Peacock debut.
A legendary addition to our team!
We’re thrilled to welcome Michael Jordan as a special contributor to the NBA on NBC and Peacock. pic.twitter.com/Pjsq8tokfi
Jordan, widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, has countless legendary accomplishments including winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, 10 NBA Scoring titles and an NCAA Championship with the University of North Carolina in 1982.
During his 15 seasons in the NBA (1984-2003), Jordan was a six-time NBA Finals MVP, a 14-time NBA All-Star and still holds the NBA record for career regular-season scoring average, with 30.1 points per game.
“I am so excited to see the NBA back on NBC,” Jordan said. “The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this October.”
Jordan was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame twice, once in 2009 for his individual career and again in 2010 as a member of “The Dream Team,” the 1992 USA men’s Olympics Basketball team that won gold. He also won gold for Team USA at the 1984 Olympics.
RUTHERFORD, NJ - 1998: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls dunks circa 1998 at The Izod Center in Rutherford, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1998 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Jordan is one of eight players to accomplish a basketball triple crown: winning an NCAA championship, an NBA Championship and an Olympic gold medal during his incredible career.
Off the court, Jordan is a successful businessman, investor and philanthropist. His Jordan Brand (a division of Nike) has been a leader and innovator in athletic shoes and apparel since 1997. Jordan is also the first former player to become the majority owner of an NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets.
Jordan will join Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller, game analysts; Carmelo Anthony, studio analyst; and Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle, play-by-play voices.
When does NBA on NBC coverage begin?
NBA on NBC coverage will begin in October 2025, with coverage of the 2025-26 season. Peacock will livestream exclusive national Monday night games, while NBC and Peacock will present national coverage of regional doubleheaders on Tuesday nights. In 2026, NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball on NBC and Peacock, providing three consecutive nights of national coverage during the second half of the regular season.
In a stunning moment, the Mavericks won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery Monday despite having just a 1.8% chance at doing so…the fourth-worst odds. Dallas now has first dibs at Duke star Cooper Flagg, the best prospect in the class.
The Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets all had the best odds for having the worst records in the campaign, but none of them got within the top three. Charlotte at No. 4 was the closest.
Jumping was the Philadelphia 76ers to No. 3, but Flagg will not form a triumvirate with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The San Antonio Spurs also rose once again to No. 2, but Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox and Co. will also not have Flagg.
Instead, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison gets an instant shot at redemption by pairing Flagg with Anthony Davis and potentially Kyrie Irving.
Here are some of the best reactions on social media following the reveal:
Mavericks CEO Rick Welts from draft lottery: "I'm the only person who was in this room and the room 40 years ago. I was in charge of the NBA draft lottery 40 years ago when Patrick Ewing won. I've been doing conspiracy theory stories ever since. This is very surreal, personally."
I'm not a big conspiracy theorist but it seems awfully convenient that the Mavericks traded Luka to the NBA's biggest market and then got Cooper Flagg in return months later, despite having just a 1.8% chance to land the number one pick.
on the real, i have no idea how to feel or how to process this lol. i feel taken advantage of. adam silver was having whole press conferences about the trade.. like we shoulda been more bullish on the collusion angle. they let folks sit in pain knowing they been plotting lmao
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been loyal to the Milwaukee Bucks for a dozen years. He's used his contract leverage to pressure the franchise to make upgrades, but he always extended his contract with the team where he won a title and two MVP awards.
That may be changing, something ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Get Up. He added that the Bucks front office and Antetokounmpo's agents will sit down soon and discuss his future.
"The two-time NBA MVP has not made any firm decisions on his Bucks future after the franchise’s third consecutive postseason exit in the first round, but for the first time in his career, Antetokounmpo is open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere, league sources told ESPN... But any conversations surrounding the perennial All-NBA superstar and 2021 NBA champion start primarily with where he believes his long-term future lies, and whether there is a franchise outside of Milwaukee that is sensible for him.
That will have GMs at the NBA Draft Combine this week in Chicago cornering Bucks' decision maker Jon Horst trying to get a read on the situation and if their team could be a fit.
Monday night's NBA Draft Lottery could have a massive impact on the potential offers the Bucks might receive. That's not if a team wins the lottery, nobody is trading Cooper Flagg. However, if a team known to be interested in Antetokounmpo, such as Brooklyn or Houston, jumped up to get the No. 2 or No. 3 pick in this draft, that can help make their trade offer much more enticing to Milwaukee.
Is that what Antetokounmpo wants? Howard Beck of the Ringer reported that Antetokounmpo's team is intrigued by the glamour franchises — the two in Los Angeles, the two in New York, Miami — as landing spots more than Houston or San Antonio. However, those two Texas teams (as well as Miami) can offer no state taxes, something the money-conscious Antetokounmpo could also be drawn to. Also, ultimately, if he wants to win a ring, those Texas teams may be better fits.
None of this means Antetokounmpo is for sure leaving Milwaukee. While plenty of voices outside Milwaukee think moving on is best for the Bucks and their superstar, the franchise isn't going to be eager to trade away a fan favorite who has been there a dozen years, the guy who brought the team a title, the guy who drives ticket sales and sponsorships and much more of the business. Milwaukee isn't just going to trade Antetokounmpo, he is going to have to ask for it.
However, for the first time, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks sound like they are going to take a serious look at the possibility.
"I just think he's relentless," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Freddie Freeman, above, after Sunday's game. (Darryl Webb / Associated Press)
It was the night the Dodgers were coldest offensively this year that Freddie Freeman’s swing first started to get hot.
On April 25, when Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates mowed through the Dodgers in a 3-0 shutout at Dodger Stadium, the veteran first baseman remembers something clicking in a sixth-inning at-bat, when he dumped a down-and-away splitter into center field for a base hit.
At the time, Freeman’s swing didn’t look like much, a seemingly nondescript single on a night the Dodgers generated little else against the reigning National League Rookie of the Year. As Freeman pulled into first, there was no sign he’d just experienced some sort of long-awaited breakthrough, with the 35-year-old slugger still grinding through a slow and injury-hampered start to his season.
Sixteen games later, however, that’s what Freeman now cites as the origin point for one of the most productive stretches of his entire career — the moment when, after more than a year of sensing his mechanics at the plate were slightly off, his simple swing finally felt once again on-line and in-sync.
“It was a changeup away, and I was able to stay through it and hit a line drive up the middle,” Freeman recalled. “That’s when I kind of figured things were working … That’s when my confidence in my swing kind of skyrocketed, was after that hit.”
In hindsight, the demarcation line couldn’t have been more clear.
Entering that game against the Pirates, Freeman was batting just .250 this year, with a .911 OPS inflated mostly by a flurry of early home runs.
Since then, he has gone on a tear that, even by his former MVP and eight-time All-Star standards, stands out statistically: Over his last 61 at-bats, he is batting .475 (29 hits) with six doubles, one triple, five home runs, 22 RBIs and a 1.374 OPS.
In all of Major League Baseball, no one this side of Aaron Judge has been so good.
"I just think he's relentless,” manager Dave Roberts said of Freeman on Sunday, after his four-for-four performance in Arizona raised his season batting average to .376 and OPS to 1.170 — marks that both rank second in the majors (among hitters with 100 at-bats) behind only the New York Yankees star.
With a look of amazement, Roberts added: “I can't remember him being this good, for this long."
To many others around the Dodgers, Freeman’s early surge has come as a pleasant surprise. They know the sprained right ankle he played through in last year’s playoffs is still giving him problems, even after he had a debridement surgery on it this winter. They know the week he spent on the injured list in early April, when he re-aggravated his ankle after slipping in the shower, got him nowhere near back to 100% health.
Every day, Freeman said he gets “about an hour and a half” of pregame treatment on his ankle. In games, he tapes it up for stability and wears heel lifts in his cleats to prevent it from getting jammed as he runs.
Freeman has assured the team he still feels “good enough” to maintain an everyday playing schedule. This past road trip, he started in each of the Dodgers’ 10 consecutive games despite some brief conversation about finding him a day off.
“He's been ailing,” Roberts said. “But he’s moving really well. And he’s doing a really nice job of sort of playing with a governor, managing it, knowing when to pick his spots, manage his work, all that."
Perhaps by the All-Star break, Freeman has been told by the team’s training staff, his ankle will be back to relative normal — or, at least, to the point where “I might not have to do as much treatment,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to that,” he added with a laugh.
In the meantime, however, more of Freeman’s focus has been on building off his mechanical rediscovery; trying to maintain feel for a swing that had eluded him for so long.
Since late in the 2023 season, Freeman had what he derisively refers to as a “cut swing” in the batter’s box. His hips would open early. His bat would cut across the strike zone. He struggled to stay in rhythm and squared up to the ball.
It’s a flaw Freeman has battled off-and-on for years. So much so, he developed a meticulous routine of batting-cage drills to call upon every time the issue arose.
But last year, nothing Freeman tried seemed to remedy the problem. His .282 batting average and .854 OPS, while still good enough to make him an All-Star, were his lowest since the 2015 and 2014 seasons, respectively. And despite his October heroics, he came into 2025 still seeking a solution.
“There’d be spurts last year where it was good, and then it’d go away,” Freeman said. “Even at the beginning of this year, it was still a little cutty.”
That’s why, when Freeman golfed Skenes’ down-and-away splitter to center field last month, he started to feel hopeful.
“The previous two weeks, I would probably have rolled that over,” Freeman said. “But that pitch in that location, and how I hit it off Paul in that at-bat, I felt like I was in a good spot. It kind of helped my confidence.”
What exactly triggered the improvement remains a mystery, even to a generational hitter with a career .301 average.
“I don’t know what changed,” Freeman said last week. “I’ve been doing the same routine, the same thing. That’s why you can never figure this game out. You just gotta ride it out.”
But suddenly, what began as a slow opening month has transformed into one of Freeman’s hottest-ever starts.
Never before has Freeman maintained a batting average even close to his current .376 mark through the first 30 games of a season (his previous high was .336 in 2017). And only in that 2017 campaign, when he belted 11 home runs in his first 30 contests, had his OPS been better this far into the schedule.
“I looked up the other day and saw he was hitting .360, I had no idea,” Roberts joked. “Like I said, he's just been relentless."
Freeman’s current 16-game heater also has few personal parallels, representing just the second time in his career he has batted .475 or better over a stretch that long (he hit .477 from July 16 to Aug. 3 in 2023).
“Just seeing strikes and hitting them,” he said when asked why he’s been so hot. “I wish there was more I could give you. I do the same routine every day, try to hit strikes. And they’re just falling right now.”
After gradually eliminating his cut-swing problems over the last few weeks, Sunday’s four-hit performance felt like Freeman’s coup de grâce.
He started the day with two doubles against Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen: the first on an outer-edge fastball he blasted the other way, the second on an inner-half cutter he pulled down the right-field line. In the seventh, he recorded his ninth home run and 33rd RBI of the season, barreling a curveball from left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply into the Chase Field pool in right-center field. In the ninth, he added a superfluous single against another left-handed reliever, Jose Castillo, knocking his down-and-away slider through the right side of the infield.
It was four hits, on four different pitch types, to four different areas of the field.
And the only time he didn’t reach base, Freeman still lifted a fifth-inning sacrifice fly 356 feet to straightaway center.
“I do feel that he's seeing the baseball well, swinging at strikes like he does,” Roberts said. “And I think he really understands how his body's moving right now, with regards to his swing."
These are all things Freeman struggled to do repeatedly before his single against Skenes almost three weeks ago.
But ever since, such results have been coming seemingly on demand, even despite the continued limitations of his ankle.
“He's already got a simple swing, simple approach,” Roberts said, trying to identify the roots of Freeman’s recent dominance. “But this might be something where, because of the right ankle, he is being more mindful and not trying to overswing or do too much — maybe."
The one thing the manager knows for sure about his superstar first baseman right now:
“It's been a while [since] I've seen him this consistent."
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube didn't mince his words when reflecting on the final minutes of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2-0 loss on Sunday to the Florida Panthers.
Max Domi, in the dying seconds of the game, with a loose puck along the boards, checked Aleksander Barkov from behind. A larger scrum followed, with several Panthers players jumping on Domi for the hit to their captain.
Domi was assessed a five-minute boarding major on the play and received a $5,000 fine by NHL Player Safety the morning after. At the time of publishing, no other fines or suspensions have come from Sunday night's game.
On Monday morning, before the fine was levied, Berube gave his perspective on the Domi hit on Barkov: "Whatever. That's League's stuff," he said. "To me, the (Dmitry) Kulikov hit on (Mitch) Marner was 10 times worse."
What Berube is referring to is Kulikov's elbow to the head of Marner during the second period. Marner, after looking dazed for a brief second, glanced at an official to see if there'd be a penalty called.
In the end, there was no penalty to Kulikov for the hit. Did Berube at least get an explanation as to why it wasn't a penalty?
"No," he smiled.
Toronto gave Florida six power play opportunities during Sunday's loss, four in the first period alone. The Maple Leafs killed the first three penalties before Carter Verhaeghe scored following Oliver Ekman-Larsson's delay of game call.
It wasn't Toronto's best game of the playoffs; however, they're going home with the series tied at two. If you like to look at things from a glass-half-full approach, that's a positive.
But the Maple Leafs need to keep up with Florida's pace and style of play. Toronto outhit (47-40) and outblocked (18-12) Florida in Game 4, indicating they can remain in the physical battles.
The toughest games are still ahead, though. The Maple Leafs need to continue showing they can stand up to the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
"We expected it, and I think we're fine with it," Berube said of the temperature rising in the series. "We're handling it, we're physical. I thought we were the more physical team last night."
Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors Preview
It’s Monday, May 12, and the Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33) and Golden State Warriors (48-34) are all set to square off from Chase Center in San Francisco.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, they are down 2-1 and will be without Steph Curry in this game.
They put up a good fight in game three, but Jimmy Butler's 33 points were not enough to help bring the Warriors over the line.
The Timberwolves are currently 24-17 on the road with a point differential of 5, while the Warriors have a 6-4 record in their last ten games at home.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.
Game details & how to watch Timberwolves vs. Warriors live today
Date: Monday, May 12, 2025
Time: 10:00PM EST
Site: Chase Center
City: San Francisco, CA
Network/Streaming: ESPN, ESPN 2
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Timberwolves vs. Warriors
The latest odds as of Monday:
Odds: Timberwolves (-222), Warriors (+182)
Spread: Timberwolves -5.5
Over/Under: 199 points
That gives the Timberwolves an implied team point total of 101.4, and the Warriors 98.52.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Monday’s Timberwolves vs. Warriors game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Timberwolves & Warriors game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Minnesota Timberwolves on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Golden State Warriors at +5.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the over on the Game Total of 199.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Timberwolves vs. Warriors on Monday
The Timberwolves have won 4 of their last 5 games as favorite
8 of the Timberwolves' last 10 road games in the postseason have gone under the total
The Warriors are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games as an underdog
The Timberwolves have won 12 of their last 20 road games at teams with winning records
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Bet the Edge is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insight weekdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
‘This feels like an opportunity that may not come back’
Son Heung-min says the biggest reason he has stayed at Tottenham for so long is to succeed where others have failed and win a trophy with the club. The captain will have the chance to do so next Wednesday in the Europa League final against Manchester United, and he described himself as being driven by “desperate passion”.
Son, who is fighting to regain peak fitness after a foot injury, joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. He has scored 173 goals for the club, putting him fifth on their all-time list behind Harry Kane, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Smith and Martin Chivers. But he has been on the losing team in each of the finals he has contested with them – against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League and Manchester City in the 2021 League Cup. Tottenham’s last trophy was the 2008 League Cup. Son is under contract until 2026, the club having triggered a one-year option on him in January.
Offensive lineman Vlad Dyakonov (Folsom, CA/ Folsom High School), the four-star prosect has officially accepted his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl.
The Kings won’t have a 2025 first-round draft pick unless they acquire one later.
In the 2025 NBA draft lottery conducted on Monday in Chicago, the Kings landed at No. 13, meaning their pick conveys to the Atlanta Hawks to complete the 2022 Kevin Huerter trade.
Sacramento’s only chance of keeping its first-round pick was if it jumped into the top four. But that scenario had a 3.8 percent chance of happening.
The Kings, who finished the 2024-25 NBA season with a 40-42 record, entered Monday with a 92.9 percent chance of remaining at No. 13 and a 3.3 percent chance of falling to No. 14.
The pick the Kings traded to the Hawks was top-12 protected, but Sacramento only had a chance at No. 1 through No. 4 and No. 13 or No. 14.
The Kings do have a second-round pick, slotted at No. 42.
Sacramento was the No. 9 seed and qualified for the Western Conference play-in tournament but saw its season end with a blowout home loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
The franchise immediately shifted into offseason mode, parting ways with general manager Monte McNair and replacing him with Scott Perry. A short time later, Doug Christie’s interim head coach tag was removed, making him the permanent coach heading into the 2025-26 season.
Perry and Christie now have to figure out how to get the Kings back to the playoffs, with plenty of roster decisions ahead of them.
A first-round draft pick would have been a valuable trade asset for a team hoping to compete, but Perry won’t have that at his disposal this summer.
Quarterback Kavian Bryant (Palestine, TX/ Westwood High School), the four-star prosect has officially accepted his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl.
Defensive lineman Jalen Brewster (Cedar Hill, TX/ Cedar Hill High School), the four-star prosect has officially accepted his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl.
Defensive back Danny Lang (Santa Ana, CA/ Mater Dei High School), the four-star prosect has officially accepted his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl.
Defensive lineman Tristian Givens (Columbus, GA/ Carver High School), the four-star prosect has officially accepted his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl.
Marner, to his credit, seemed fine and continued on in the game.
Florida’s Evan Rodrigues left the game early after taking a hit from Oliver Ekman-Larsson during the third period that initially was called a major penalty before officials downgraded it to a minor. Nevertheless, it was one of several nasty hits that the Cats and Leafs were laying on one another.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is handed a 2 minute minor for interference on Evan Rodrigues 🫣 pic.twitter.com/U7Xa9Ux8IH
Later in the game, as the clock was about to expire on Florida’s 2-0 victory that evened the best-of-seven series at two games apiece, the puck was being tied up in the corner to the right of Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
As players battled for the puck, Toronto’s Max Domi lined up Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov and drilled him from behind and into the boards, a very dangerous play.
Domi received a five-minute major for boarding at the 20:00 mark of the game.
It took the NHL Department of Player Safety just over 12 hours to come to a decision regarding the hit, fining Domi $5,000, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement.
Toronto’s Max Domi has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for boarding Florida’s Aleksander Barkov.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 12, 2025
The bad blood between the two teams will have a couple days to simmer, as Game 5 isn’t until Wednesday night in Toronto.
With the series now a best-of-three, there should be no shortage of intensity, physicality and drama.
We'll see if either team responds to the nasty hits laid out during Game 4.
