The NBA on CBS is the branding that was used for weekly broadcasts of National Basketball Association (NBA) games produced by CBS Sports….which CBS aired NBA games from the 1973–1974 NBA season….when it succeeded ABC Sports as the national broadcaster of the NBA….and continued to do so until the 1989–90 NBA season….when CBS was succeeded by NBC Sports.
As the host of the NBA on CBS…..Brent Musburger was behind the mike throughout the decade of the 1980’s….resulting from Musburger having a down-to-earth manner of speaking….who often addressed his viewers as “folks.” In a Sports Illustrated profile done on Musburger in January 1984….he stressed his hesitance to “pontificate” during his broadcasts.
Either Brent Musburger and Pat OBrien were always at the mike as host of At The Half shows for every NBA on CBS telecast….who were typically joined by guest basketball analysts…..as seen in this video herewith….where Musburger is joined by then Knicks Coach Hubie Brown and then 76’ers Coach Billy Cunningham.
Following his dismissal from the Knicks at the end of the 1987 season….CBS hired Hubie Brown full-time as a broadcaster….where he served alongside Verne Lundquist as the third team during select regular season and playoff games….only to be promoted to the second team the next season….then in 1988…. CBS named Brown to replace Billy Cunningham as its lead analyst alongside play-by-play man Dick Stockton. Brown remained with CBS until the end of their NBA coverage following the 1990 NBA Finals,
Billy Cunningham joined the broadcast team for CBS in the 1976-77 season….being often paired with Brent Musburger…while leaving after the season ended to coach the 76ers. Cunningham would later rejoin the CBS broadcast team starting with the 1985-86 season….and replaced Tom Heinsohn as the lead color commentator alongside play-by-play man Dick Stockton for CBS’ NBA telecasts…..only to leave CBS Sports the following season to join the Miami Heat expansion franchise as a minority owner…. which he ultimately sold his interest in the Heat in 1994. Cunningham was subsequently replaced on CBS by Hubie Brown.
