For the first time in 24 years, NBA is back on NBC screens. Social media is raving with tens of thousands of posts dedicated to basketball and the players involved in this season’s opening night. It’s safe to say that NBA is back.
The 2025-26 season opener kicked off with defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Houston Rockets at the Paycom Centre. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers host the Golden State Warrior in the nightcap.
NBC was slated to broadcast the premier Thunder vs Houston showdown at 7:30 pm ET on Tuesday (US time). However, fans couldn’t help but call out a notorious trend of delays associated with NBA basketball continuing into the new season as well.
Josh Hart’s NBA opener delay tweet goes viral
NBA stunner and New York Knicks forward Josh Hart was one such prominent figure to hilariously point out the issue. “It’s 7:42pm and the 7:30pm game hasn’t started yet. The NBA is so back,” he shared a post on X, which has since amassed over a million views. Like LeBron James, Hart also sat out the opener due to lumbar spasms from preseason.
It inevitably kicked off a debate across sports fandoms, with Kyle Levy, a reporter and analyst for horse racing and sports betting broadcast, noting, “We need to get with the times like Europe & soccer. They say a game kicks off at 7:30, and that ball is kicked off at 7:30. It’s glorious.” Yet another popular sports page on the platform questioned, “Why does the NBA insist on doing this btw?”
It’s 7:42pm and the 7:30pm game hasn’t started yet. The NBA is so back 🙌🏽
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) October 21, 2025
NBA on NBA – ‘Roundball Rock’ theme brings back memories
Tapping into major nostalgia feels, the iconic NBA on NBC theme song “Roundball Rock” made a momentous comeback on Tuesday. The John Tesh tune that found its origin on a Saturday Night Live sketch is estimated to have played roughly 12,000 time during covergae from 1990 to 2002, according to NBC Connecticut. The musician started off the NBA opening-night celebration right with a live performance of the track on “TODAY.”
Those ardently awaiting its return couldn’t hold back their emotions as soon as the song broke out. Even the official NBA on NBC page on X exclaimed, “ABSOLUTE CHILLS. Cue up Roundball Rock…the NBA is BACK on NBC and Peacock.” ’90s kids were especially over the moon, as they relived their golden memories of the old day.
Someone even went ahead and suggested that it was only fitting for the NBA Finals to eventually be aired by NBC. “The nostalgia hitting hard for all of us old heads,” another user confessed online.
James Young, the host of ‘Betting Above the Rim’ podcast chimed in, “For anyone that is around my age, that music brings me to back to my childhood. This has me so juiced up for tonight’s season opener. And having it on #NBC makes me feel like all is right in the basketball world again!”
For anyone that is around my age, that music brings me to back to my childhood. This has me so juiced up for tonight’s season opener. And having it on #NBC makes me feel like all is right in the basketball world again! @SportsGrid #NBA #NBAonNBC pic.twitter.com/QZoz9z90Nk
— James Young (@CoachYoungNJ) October 21, 2025
More information will be added.
