From Michael Jordan to Mike Tirico and Roundball Rock, NBC showed the impact it will have on NBA games this season.

Fans of NBA on TNT will have to adjust to the new schedule and studio shows. Major sports league contracts don’t change hands often. But on Oct. 21, Comcast’s (CMCSA) NBCUniversal wrested the U.S.’s second most-popular — and fastest-growing worldwide — league out of Warner Bros.

Hornets guard Terry Rozier was indicted as part of an investigation into insider sports betting. A separate investigation into what law enforcement described as Mafia-organized rigged poker games led to charges for Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.

Maybe it was the nostalgia kicking in, but Tuesday felt bigger than usual for the NBA as it returned to NBC for the first time since 2002.

The Oklahoma City Thunder received their rings. The new-look Houston Rockets were in town. The NBA was back on NBC. Cue the music.

The last NBA tip-off doubleheader with a larger average audience came in Oct. 2010, helped by the Heat's 88–80 loss to the Celtics in the first game of the "Big Three" era. These figures come with the caveat that Nielsen has overhauled its data gathering processes this year.

Michael Jordan made his debut as a special contributor to NBC Sports' return to NBA broadcasting on Tuesday night, saying he's doing so as a way to give back to basketball.

NBA fans roast Carmelo Anthony over fashion choice during NBC debut originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Carmelo Anthony decided to keep it casual for his highly-anticipated NBC sports analyst television debut.