NBC Resurrects Iconic NBA Narrator Jim Fagan's Voice Using AI for Upcoming Season

NBC will use Jim Fagan's AI-generated voice for NBA coverage

Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. NBC's upcoming NBA coverage will include the AI-generated voice of Jim Fagan, a longtime sports narrator who died in 2017. In an announcement on Tuesday, NBC said the AI-generated voice of Fagan will appear across select title sequences, show opens, and promos when the network resumes airing NBA games in October. Fagan's voice appeared in NBC's NBA coverage from 1990 to 2002, where he became known for his "NBA on NBC" promos. He also narrated promos and openers for the league's biggest stars, like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Hakeem Olajuwon. With permission from Fagan's family, NBC will now use AI to recreate his voice. NBC has already revealed its first promo using Fagan's AI-generated voice, which you can hear in the video embedded below. "His voice perfectly captured the magnitude of the heavyweight matchups and stars that he was introducing," NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said in the press release. "It's been a joy to work with Jim's family to recreate his voice and honor his legacy." NBC says Fagan's AI-generated voice will "supplement traditional voiceover work by other artists." NBC also used AI voiceovers last year for the 2024 Paris Olympics, as it rolled out a tool that people could use to generate personalized recaps using the AI-generated voice of sportscaster Al Michaels.

NBC resurrects legendary NBA voice Jim Fagan using AI

NBC hopes to evoke nostalgia for 1990s basketball with the AI voice The booming, baritone narration by Jim Fagan is as much a part of 1990s NBA games as Bugs Bunny selling shoes with Michael Jordan or the "Roundball Rock" theme song. Though Fagan passed away in 2017, NBC has his voice ready to go for the upcoming season thanks to AI voice cloning. NBC Sports announced the plan for when it regains broadcasting rights this October. Fagan's voice won't be narrating entire games, the current commentators don't have to worry about direct AI competition just yet. The plan is to use him selectively: show opens, promotional spots, maybe the dramatic lead-in to a playoff broadcast. The network is reportedly shelling out billions as part of a massive rights package shared with Amazon and Disney. What better way to brand its return than with the voice that defined the league's TV glory years? NBC just hopes Fagan's phantom voice will remind people of the NBA's golden age three decades ago. NBC approached the project carefully to avoid a backlash from Fagan's fans. The company built Fagan's vocal doppelganger with the permission and cooperation of Fagan's family. "He took great pride in his work with NBC Sports, especially in helping set the stage for some of the most memorable moments in NBA history. Knowing that his voice will once again be part of the game he loved - and that a new generation of fans will get to experience it - is incredibly special for our family," Fagan's daughters, Jana Silvia Joyce and Risa Silvia-Koonin, said in a statement. "He would be so thrilled and proud to be a part of this." If this sounds like the echo of a similar idea, that's because NBCUniversal has dipped into its AI audio toolbox very recently. At the Paris Olympics last year, NBC recreated Al Michaels' voice to deliver Olympic recaps on Peacock. There's a trend in sports broadcasting to remix the past using futuristic tools. Whether it's classic theme songs, throwback logos, or AI-generated recaps, the goal is novelty nostalgia, a feeling more than a strictly perfect recreation. And if it works, get ready for AI to resurrect Marv Albert next.

NBC Using AI to Bring Beloved NBA Narrator Jim Fagan Back From the Grave

The late Jim Fagan's iconic voice defined National Basketball Association (NBA) promos throughout the 1990s and early 2000s -- and now, NBC is bringing that voice back from the dead using AI. In a press release, the broadcaster announced that it's teaming up with the family of the beloved sports narrator, who died from complications related to Parkinson's disease in 2017, to clone his voice for new coverage, promotions, and title sequences when basketball season resumes in October. Fagan's voice became synonymous with the NBA -- and, before that, with wrestling -- decades ago. In its statement, NBC attempted to pay homage to the narrator's ubiquity. "For many basketball fans, Jim's unique and recognizable voice immediately conjures a deep sense of nostalgia for a special time in NBA history," Rick Cordella, the president of NBC Sports, said in the press release. "His voice perfectly captured the magnitude of the heavyweight matchups and stars that he was introducing." In this case, at least NBC got permission from Fagan's family to use his voice to, essentially, generate money for the network. "We're deeply grateful that NBC Sports had the vision to honor our father's legacy in such a meaningful way," Fagan's daughters, Jana Silvia Joyce and Risa Silvia-Koonin, said in the statement. "Knowing that his voice will once again be part of the game he loved -- and that a new generation of fans will get to experience it -- is incredibly special for our family." Be that as it may, sports fans themselves aren't nearly as keen on the gambit as the late narrator's kin. "There's something really unsettling and bleak about using AI to recreate the past like this," one user on the r/NBA subreddit opined. Another Redditor pointed out, rightfully, that NBC had already deployed AI voice synthesis when using a recreation of fellow famed sportscaster Al Michaels -- who is, notably, still alive -- during last year's Summer Olympics.

NBC will use AI voice of Jim Fagan, who died in 2017, when NBA returns to network

When the NBA returns to NBC next season, one of the network's signature voices will be back - sort of. NBC announced former narrator Jim Fagan will be used as part of its coverage and promotion of the league for the 2025-26 season. While the name may not sound familiar, perhaps his voice does: Fagan was the voice of NBC's NBA coverage from 1990-2002, hyping up games featuring stars like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. However, there is a catch with the return of Fagan. He actually died in 2017, so NBC will be using AI voice synthesis technology to re-create his voice and use it for title sequences, show opens and promotions. The network shared a preview of what it will sound like hearing Fagan's voice again. How is NBC using Jim Fagan's voice? Fagan's voice will be used thanks to a partnership with his family. The use of AI comes after NBC did something similar for the 2024 Paris Olympics, when Al Michaels' voice was used for its "Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock" feature. "We're deeply grateful that NBC Sports had the vision to honor our father's legacy in such a meaningful way," his daughters Jana Silvia Joyce and Risa Silvia-Koonin said in a statement. "He took great pride in his work with NBC Sports, especially in helping set the stage for some of the most memorable moments in NBA history. Knowing that his voice will once again be part of the game he loved - and that a new generation of fans will get to experience it - is incredibly special for our family. He would be so thrilled and proud to be a part of this. It's been a true pleasure working with NBC Sports on this project." The use of Fagan's voice adds another element of nostalgia to NBC's production when professional basketball returns to the network. The network previously announced the iconic "Roundball Rock" NBA anthem will be used for games. While a nice blast from the past, the news of Fagan's voice being used drew some mixed reactions. NBC said Fagan's voice will "supplement traditional voiceover work" from other artists NBC features. NBC's coverage on the NBA begins in October as it is part of the 11-year, $76 billion deal alongside Disney (ABC/ESPN) and Amazon.

NBC to Use AI to Recreate Voice of Famed NBA Narrator Jim Fagan For Upcoming Season

NBC Bets on Windy City First Responders as It Renews Three 'Chicago' Shows During the NBA on NBC's 12 year run from 1990-2002, the broadcasts and promotional spots featured the voice of narrator Jim Fagan, who drove excitement around the games featuring stars like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Hakeem Olajuwon. NBC lost the NBA rights in 2003, and Fagan passed away in 2017, but when the NBA on NBC returns to the network this fall, his voice will once again be featured in promos, title sequences and show opens, this time teasing stars like Steph Curry, Jason Tatum, and Victor Wembanyama. NBC says that it is using generative artificial intelligence technology to recreate Fagan's voice, conjuring up a return to its broadcasts of 25 years ago. Separately NBC Sports also confirmed that it would bring back its iconic "Roundball Rock" theme song, composed by John Tesh. "For many basketball fans, Jim's unique and recognizable voice immediately conjures a deep sense of nostalgia for a special time in NBA history," said NBC Sports president Rick Cordella in a statement. "His voice perfectly captured the magnitude of the heavyweight matchups and stars that he was introducing. It's been a joy to work with Jim's family to recreate his voice and honor his legacy. I'm excited we're able to introduce his voice to a whole new generation of fans." You can see the first promo featuring Fagan's voice below: Fagan is the second NBC Sports legend to have AI recreate their inimitable voice: During the 2024 Paris Olympics, NBC launched a customized recap on Peacock featuring the voice of Al Michaels, also recreated using gen AI technology. Michaels, of course, is still calling NFL games for Amazon. Just as Michaels signed off on his voice being used for the Olympics, NBC says that Fagan's family has agreed to use his voice for the NBA on NBC. "We're deeply grateful that NBC Sports had the vision to honor our father's legacy in such a meaningful way," said his daughters Jana Silvia Joyce and Risa Silvia-Koonin in a statement. He took great pride in his work with NBC Sports, especially in helping set the stage for some of the most memorable moments in NBA history. Knowing that his voice will once again be part of the game he loved -- and that a new generation of fans will get to experience it -- is incredibly special for our family. He would be so thrilled and proud to be a part of this. It's been a true pleasure working with NBC Sports on this project."

AI-generated voice of former narrator Jim Fagan to be featured next...

NBA fans' viewing experience will look different later this year, but there will also be a touch of nostalgia. Last summer, Comcast/NBC Universal closed an 11-year agreement for the rights to regular and postseason NBA and WNBA games. Those games will be presented across the network's linear and streaming platforms beginning with the 2025-26 season. As viewers prepare to make an adjustment to their habits for the fall, the network announced an AI-powered tool will help bring back a 1990s feel. The late Jim Fagan, whose iconic voice became synonymous with NBC programming in the '90s, will be part of NBA coverage going forward - thanks to artificial intelligence. The AI-generated voice of Fagan will be deployed for NBC's coverage of the league. The re-created voice will also be heard in select promotional elements starting in October. Those elements will include some title sequences, show opens, and other promos, NBC announced in a press release. The company will utilize other voiceover artists for more traditional work. Fagan's family granted NBC Sports permission to use AI voice synthesis technology to re-create the famed narrator's voice. Fagan's daughters, Jana Silvia Joyce and Risa Silvia-Koonin, issued a statement saying in part: "We're deeply grateful that NBC Sports had the vision to honor our father's legacy in such a meaningful way." "For many basketball fans, Jim's unique and recognizable voice immediately conjures a deep sense of nostalgia for a special time in NBA history," Rick Cordella, NBC Sports president said in a statement. "His voice perfectly captured the magnitude of the heavyweight matchups and stars that he was introducing. It's been a joy to work with Jim's family to re-create his voice and honor his legacy. I'm excited we're able to introduce his voice to a whole new generation of fans." Amazon is one of three partners in the record $76 billion media rights deal with the NBA. Disney, ESPN's parent company, will continue its partnership with the league, per the terms of the latest agreement. "NBA on NBC" ran from 1990-2002. TNT's partnership with the NBA began in 1989, with its "Inside the NBA" studio show gaining popularity over the decades. But in July 2024, the NBA rejected a bid from TNT's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), to exercise its right to match an offer from Amazon for a part of the league's media rights deal. In May 2024, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed confidence that at least two of the "Inside the NBA" stars will continue to cover the NBA for years to come, regardless of which network holds the broadcasting rights. "We're never gonna lose Charles (Barkley) and Kenny (Smith)," Silver said. "They're always going to be covering the NBA.... I can't imagine those guys [on 'Inside the NBA'] won't be performing and announcing together in the future, and we all love them." All four prominent faces of "Inside the NBA" will ultimately remain together, as the program will be licensed to ESPN starting with the 2025-26 season. The league's current media rights deal will expire in June after the NBA Finals.