Maria Taylor.Maria Taylor (Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
NBC has announced a significant career update for popular “Sunday Night Football” host Maria Taylor.

The 38-year-old Taylor joined NBC Sports in 2021 after a seven-year tenure at ESPN, turning down a lucrative extension from the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Taylor is about to enter her fifth season as the host for “Football Night in America” on NBC, but her schedule will get even busier after the NFL season.

On Sunday, NBC Sports announced that Maria Taylor would be the lead studio host for coverage of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, which will begin next season. Taylor will work alongside NBA legends and analysts Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony.

Additionally, NBC Sports announced that Taylor will host some WNBA games on NBC and Peacock when the network begins coverage of the league next year.

Maria Taylor released the following statement on the exciting career news:

“I’m deeply honored to be part of NBC Sports’ incredible legacy covering the NBA and to return to the game that first captured my heart, women’s basketball. To know that I’ll spend the next five years with my NBC family telling the stories of the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the NBA Playoffs, and the WNBA Finals is more than a dream come true — it’s a full-circle moment.”

 

Last year, the NBA announced an 11-year broadcast deal with ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Amazon Prime Video that begins in 2025-26. TNT Sports, which had aired NBA games since 1989, lost its NBA rights in the new broadcast agreement.

NBC will begin airing the “Sunday Night Basketball” program on Feb. 1, the week before the network airs Super Bowl 60 to conclude the 2025 NFL season.

Maria Taylor & “Football Night In America” Return On Sept. 4

Maria taylor Maria Taylor (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for The Same House)
Taylor and her “Football Night in America” colleagues will return to the air on Sept. 4, when NBC broadcasts the Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles kickoff game at Lincoln Financial Field.

Play-by-play voice Mike Tirico and veteran analyst Cris Collinsworth will call the game between the two NFC East rivals as the Eagles look to kick off their Super Bowl defense on a strong note.