1. After a 23-year hiatus, NBC gets back in the NBA business starting tonight with a doubleheader featuring the Thunder at the Rockets at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Warriors at the Lakers at 10 p.m. ET. NBC, which aired the NBA from 1990 to 2002, is entering Year 1 of an 11-year deal with the league.

This marks the first night of NBA games aired live on NBC since the 2002 NBA Finals. After 23 years away, NBC re-entered a broadcast rights deal with the NBA in July 2024, set to take effect at the beginning of the 2025-26 regular season — which is tonight.

The NBA season opens Tuesday with a record 135 players born outside the U.S. They come from 43 countries, with 71 players from Europe.

Michael Jordan won six championships, six NBA Finals MVPs and five league MVPs and is considered by many to be the greatest player in basketball history.

The five most likely winners of the Most Valuable Player award, based on betting odds, are all from outside the US.