Q&A: Tim Legler on calling his first Finals game and the series ahead

Tim Legler (left) is poised to call his first NBA Finals on ESPN and ABC with broadcast partner Mike Breen,

Complete coverage: 2026 NBA Finals

When Game 1 of the

2026 NBA Finals

tips off on Wednesday, it won’t just be Jalen Brunson, Victor Wembanyama and many of the players on the court participating in their first Finals game.

Calling the game on ABC will be the three-man booth of Mike Breen on play-by-play alongside color analysts Tim Legler and Richard Jefferson in the culmination of their first season together as the lead crew for the NBA on ESPN and ABC.

It marks the debut Finals game for Legler, who has been with ESPN since 2000 after he concluded his 10-year NBA career. The sharp-shooting guard played for five teams, won the 1996 3-Point Contest and still holds the third-highest single-season 3-point percentage (52.2% in 1995-96) and ninth-highest career percentage (43.1%).

Ahead of calling his first Finals game, Legler spoke with NBA.com about his journey to this moment, his first season in his role and what he expects to see in the NBA Finals.

Editor’s Note: The following conversation has been condensed and edited.

NBA.com: How are you feeling as you get ready to call your first Finals game on the broadcast team and the journey it took to get to this moment?

Legler:

I’m just honored, I’m beyond excited, I’m so dialed in to be able to get an opportunity to sit in a seat that so many great broadcasters have sat in over the years. Guys that I’ve obviously watched my entire life, when I first fell in love with the NBA, going back to high school, when I first started dreaming about playing in the NBA, all the different guys I’ve listened to over the years. To think that now I’m going to occupy one of those seats on the biggest stage that we have in this sport, I’m just beyond thrilled.

It kind of reminds me of when I won the 3-point shootout in San Antonio, actually. Ironically, I guess two of the biggest things that happened in my career — winning the three-point shootout and now going back to call the Finals — both will be in San Antonio. I thought to myself at that time, going into that ‘Man, if I can win this, my name’s going to go on the same trophy that Larry Bird was on.’ That was the guy I idolized in high school, so that was like my motivation, I wanted to be on that list with him, and so now here I am going to call the NBA Finals, and I’m going to join that list of guys that have done this over the course of their careers. So, I’m humbled, I’m incredibly honored, but I am so, so dialed in. I can’t wait to get going.

When you think back to those memories, who were the analysts that you were listening to? Who were the guys that you take the most from?

One of the guys I thought was the greatest to ever do it was Doug Collins. He was the guy growing up that, if he was calling a game, that, to me, was where I was going to learn the most. I wanted to watch any game that Doug Collins was calling. For me, he was always like the gold standard. That’s the guy I looked up to, the guy I wanted to emulate, and try to sort of mold myself after.

My approach as I’m sitting there, my eyes are trying to catch everything that’s going on, so that I can maybe bring up something on the air that is a really important thing that just happened that maybe some people didn’t notice or they didn’t know that was important. That’s my job as an analyst, to make you much smarter watching the game the next time you watch it, or the next trip up the floor, give something to look for, so that’s always been my approach and my goal, and I always felt like Doug Collins did that for me.

This is your first season alongside Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson in the booth, but it feels like you guys have been working together longer. How did you build that chemistry with them to become a cohesive unit?

I appreciate you saying that, and I think all three of us would agree: there’s probably no greater compliment that you can get than that. When you’re watching, there’s a comfortability level that you’re feeling — there’s no awkwardness, there’s no stiffness. I think there’s only one way to achieve it and that’s through reps. You have to get reps together.

Reps are the only way to do it in terms of perfecting the rhythm, the timing, the understanding of each other, and what we’re thinking. It’s almost like now I know Richard, I know when he’s about to say something, I know when to stop, give him his time to breathe … he knows the same thing about me. We both have to give Mike his space to do his thing, and that only comes together through time.

And I think a genuine selflessness each of us have to have to understand it’s only as good as the three of us make it. It’s not about any one of us. It has to be this rhythm, almost like a band. It’s got to be like that for it to be on point, and that means you have to give up some of yourself each broadcast to make it work, and we’re all willing to do it.

Looking back at your first season together, what have been the moments that have stood out, that you’ll reflect on fondly when you think about this first year?

The stuff I’m going to remember the most during the season was when one of us would make a mistake on the air. If I misspoke or chewed on my tongue a little bit trying to say something, I could feel Richard staring at me. And you try to keep your composure and not just burst out laughing at times, because I literally feel his eyes burning a hole through the side of my face.

What happens through those moments, you develop this trust level amongst each other that literally nothing’s off limits in terms of teasing. We can do that to each other at dinner, we can do that to each other in the green room, and even on the air. For me, it’s been that has made the relationship grow amongst the three of us more than anything are those moments when you can kind of make fun of each other a little bit and have fun with it without getting sensitive, that’s what kind of brings you together.

We’ve had some incredible games this year that are going to be etched in my mind forever with some of the great finishes we had. If you want one moment that stood out above all others, as far as the game, it’s got to be Game 1 of the Knicks-Cavs. When the Knicks erased that 22-point deficit in under eight minutes, and the Brunson run, and then the way the Knicks closed that out to force overtime, and then eventually win the game in the Garden. That was probably the most memorable game that’s going to stand out to me from the season.

Very few environments in all of sports equal the Garden when it’s rockin’. When the Knicks are good and the Knicks are playing for something important, it’s just incredibly electric. Any opposing player will tell you that — it’s just different going in there. You’re so much more juiced than just about any place in the league. So to get a moment like that, when you’re thinking, it’s about to be down 0-1, you drop home court right away in a series, you start to get a lot of anxiety as a fan base, and they were eight minutes away from that happening. Down 22 and they pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the league. So to be there to call that and to watch that was incredible.

I want to get your thoughts on the series we’re about to watch. What are the matchups and storylines that you’re most excited to see play out?

One of the biggest for me is how dominant the Knicks have been in the paint offensively. Their offense has been humming, obviously, with the numbers they are putting up. The efficiency’s incredible, historic in a lot of ways, particularly amongst their starters. But a lot of that is because they have balance between shooting, deep shooting, mid-range and the paint.

The paint has been a huge part of their success. Towns gets downhill, Brunson’s in there, Anunoby, Bridges slashes and cuts to get stuff going to the lane. Josh Hart is going to attack the rim. Well, they’re playing a team in the Spurs where that’s going to be much harder to come by. They just do a great job containing the ball individually, so you’re not going to get as many blow-bys or blown coverages on pick and roll, but then look who’s back there, lurking, playing on a different level altogether than what they have faced with Victor Wembanyama, so that was a big one right away.

What are your thoughts on this young Spurs team that is defying the conventional idea that teams have to pay their dues, gain playoff experience before reaching the Finals and compete for a championship? The elevated stakes and brighter lights have not shaken them.

There’s a progression, right? A team goes into the lottery for whatever reason, it takes a few years to dig out of that. And then even once you get your first taste of the playoffs, it’s supposed to be like, ‘okay, lost in the first round, got to the second, conference finals,’ and then you finally break through. That’s kind of what it usually looks like, but not in this case. And the No. 1 reason for that is when you get three high Draft picks, like they had, and you don’t just succeed with good picks, you hit grand slams with three picks taken that high. You can’t miss on any of those picks, and they didn’t with Wembanyama, with Castle, with Harper.

With all three of those guys, No. 1: they’re physically ready immediately. No. 2, they’re mature beyond their years, all three of those guys. And No. 3, they’re all incredibly mentally tough, so they’re just built for it. For me, that’s why you’re able to accelerate all of this. These young guys you drafted are not only talented, they’re tough, they’re mature, they’re poised, they’re leaders … everything you could want in a young core.

I know you may not be able to make any predictions, but how do you see this matchup playing out? Do you anticipate a long series?

I believe this is a coin-toss series. I know that a lot of people thought a few months back — whoever wins the West wins the title. Well, now I don’t believe that. The Knicks have changed that narrative because of what we’ve just watched. I know their path was a little different. Doesn’t matter, I could differentiate watching between the path, who they’re playing, and how they’re playing. It’s a big difference. And how they’re playing is elite on both ends of the floor.

I truly believe in my heart both of these teams have what it takes on both ends of the floor, and with their depth and balance and coaching to be the team that ends up hosting a parade. I believe that in my heart.