The Emmy-award winning producer will join NBC Sports for NBA coverage after the 2024-25 Nets season.
Over the course of the last quarter-century, there have been some good years and some really bad years for Nets fans. But THE one constant in that span is YES Network’s coverage of the team, its wins and losses, and quite literally everything to do with the New Jersey and Brooklyn Nets.
You might not have been able to count on the on-court product… but you could always count on YES to put on a fun and insightful show.
Frank DiGraci, the captain of that ship that’s “not going to slow down for you”, will be sailing on after this 2024-25 season after serving 26 years and counting as coordinating producer/producer of Brooklyn Nets games for the YES Network.
NBC Sports announced it hired DiGraci as coordinating producer for its NBA coverage following a 30-year hiatus. It’ll be a major loss for Nets fans, but just as big a gain for NBA fans watching nationally televised games.
“NBC Sports has hired Emmy Award-winning producer Frank DiGraci as coordinating producer for its upcoming NBA coverage, which begins in October 2025. He will oversee all production elements of NBC Sports’ game coverage and will serve as its lead producer.”
Where do we even begin? DiGraci has overseen coverage of the Nets for the past 26 years — a franchise that has won only 44.6 percent of its games during that span, two NBA Finals appearances, and only one playoff series win in the past 10 years. They even suffered through with a 12-70 record, the fifth-fewest wins in an 82-game season in NBA history.
Yet, it was always entertaining.
I think the Nets broadcast is my favorite in the league. They clearly love the game. They aren’t crazy homers. They can be critical without crappy all over the current players and game. And they have a lot of fun.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) April 9, 2022
DiGraci found ways and found talent. Whether it be the brainstorming of segments of “Ask the Announcers,” “Wear Brooklyn At,” “Who Am I?,” or “I Did Not Know That’ — the Emmy-Award winning producer simply did everything it took to make Nets basketball entertaining. The awards followed: He won the NBA’s Todd Harris Spirit Award at the NBA Broadcasting meetings in 2022 — an honor that recognizes an NBA broadcaster or executive who is the ultimate team player and inspires people to make every day brighter.
Sounds about right.
Planning, preparation, and execution — all DiGraci fortes — are keys to the success of any TV broadcast, but it doesn’t happen without the talent he helped develop. Talk about an eye! DiGraci has helped advance or kickstart the careers of Ian Eagle, Richard Jefferson, Ryan Ruocco, Sarah Kustok, Michelle Beadle, and many more, most recently pairing our Lucas Kaplan with Kustok on the network’s new podcast. That’s not even mentioning current YES announcer Noah Eagle, who’ll be joining DiGraci over at NBC for NBA coverage.
His charges took to Twitter Wednesday to thank him…
Frank was the first guy to offer me a broadcasting job, it was my rookie year so he had to wait . First game I ever called he was the producer and taught me so much over the years. Thank you for everything. You’ll be missed @YESNetwork https://t.co/7ok7MI5315
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) December 11, 2024
As the man said himself in a New York Times profile: “The structure of football is made for television. But basketball is a different beast. “It’s going,” DiGraci says. “That’s what I love about it. It’s … fast.”
He’s going to need to turn things around fast at NBC. One month into the season, NBA ratings were down a reported 28% on ESPN through November 21. Ultimately the on-court product is what brings those ratings back, but with the integration of a legendary producer like DiGraci, perhaps some things will change when it comes to how we view basketball at home. Just ask this hoops fan who watched and learned by simply turning on YES when it was time for Nets basketball.
Our first ask? Bring back “Roundball Rock”!
Good luck, Frank, and thanks for a fun (and very fast) ride.